Alders: Symbiosis
by Oldine
Summary: (Alders revision) The 456 were destroyed in 1965. Ianto was in Argentina instead of Rex. This series has shorter stories that are focused more on the character relationships.
1. Chapter 1

**CHANGE**

 **England Field, 1965**

In theory, Keara Monfort thought, destroying the 456 would save the hub and Ianto. A simple solution to a complex problem. The first of many. Jack needed to keep his humanity and stay on Earth. Keeping him out of a trouble would be an ongoing problem. But he was needed. By Torchwood, Earth and Anwen.

Keara arrived before Jack and the bus. She stopped walking and consulted a local map on a hand-held computer. Then using a device strikingly similar to a key fob, she summoned a containment box from Nigeria. The contents provided everything she needed to destroy the 456.

Using the hand-held, Keara quickly accessed a blueprint. Assembling the device took longer than expected. She heard the bus in the distance before completing it. Having to rush annoyed her, but she activated it in time. It arrived and Jack unloaded the kids. He eyed the area as if he suspected a problem. When he flipped open his wrist-strap, Keara knew she had to act. Revealing herself had not been part of the plan. With no other option, she dropped the energy cloak concealing her. She needed to buy time.

As Keara hoped, Jack looked up from his scan. Then reached for his gun. She activated her ballistic shield. The future technology added to his suspicious, but he holstered his weapon. A Webly was ineffective against the energy barrier.

"Who are you?"

"Future Torchwood." Keara wondered how much she should tell him. "The aliens won't honor this agreement." That much wouldn't damage the time line.

"You're intentionally changing the past?"

She nodded. "It's necessary to save the planet."

When the 456 attempted to take the children, they transported the weapon based on Jack's original design. A light flashed briefly. She checked her hand-held and nodded. It worked. Allowing the children to survive complicated the minimal change she hoped for.

"You destroyed your time line."

She nodded. "Long ago."

Anwen would have rescued the children, especially the Anwen she'd foreseen as a result of this change. Keara wished she could protect Anwen from everything. But it wasn't possible. Pain and loss happened. Overprotection would keep Anwen from becoming the leader she needed to be.

"Why?"

The answer was too painful to share. "You destroyed yours."

"Unintentionally."

That was an understatement. After meeting multiple versions of Jack, she still didn't know the whole story. His immortality somehow involved Time Lord technology and an alien invasion. Torchwood files had varying explanations for his arrival during Victorian times.

"I need to go." Keara thought of one advantage to meeting Jack. "Use this to boost your reputation. You will need it."

* * *

 **Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Friday, June 21, 2019**

Ianto Jones sat on the edge of Jack's bed with his eyes closed. After ten years, their relationship felt like an ongoing argument in-between Torchwood crises. In the beginning, their relationship was casual and fun. They played naked hide-and-seek in the hub after hours. And stole intimate moments when they could. It felt like a different lifetime.

Jack propped himself up. "Come back to bed."

A simple request. Except nothing was ever simple anymore.

Jack's mobile rang. He shifted in bed to reach the phone on the bedside table behind him. "Morning." He then switched it to speaker phone, answering Ianto's unasked question.

"Something happened," Anwen said, unsure of how to explain. "It felt like a change in Rift energy."

"Did you tell your mother?"

"No. She doesn't want to believe me. It scares her."

Ianto turned toward Jack. "Comparison?"

"Uncle Jack. You have energy like the Rift, but it's different. You're not from here and whatever happened isn't either."

Anwen had shown an odd sensitivity to Rift energy. She could easily identify objects that came through. The only possible explanation was adaption. So far. She was born and raised in Cardiff. While most people had no idea the Rift exist, anyone living nearby had been exposed.

"What did it feel like?" Jack asked.

"Change. Like someone editing a story," Anwen said, "Except I think it's time."

Jack met Ianto's eyes. They both had ideas what that meant and none of them were good. Like many conversations, they'd been together long enough that it didn't need to be said. Time manipulation was bad. If Anwen could sense chronons, that meant her ability was more than sensitivity caused by the Rift. That was the most Ianto could anticipate. The rest they would have to discuss.

"Get some sleep," Jack said.

The call ended.

Jack flipped open his wrist-com and scanned the building. "Nothing obvious."

"Is it possible Anwen senses chronons?"

"I don't know." Jack reached for Ianto. "It can wait." The previous argument led to brief wrestling until they kissed and the conflict faded as it always did.

When the mobile rang again, Jack was laying half on top of Ianto. Jack reached for the phone, not wanting to move. "Hey." He switched it to speaker phone.

"We have a problem." Gwen went on to explain that Anwen had a black, watch-like band on her left wrist. Scan readings suggested a wrist-strap. "We can't remove it."

"Give us ten minutes. Then bring Anwen up."

* * *

Jack Harkness stood in the kitchen eying the sunrise through the window. Ianto made coffee and considered breakfast. The familiar routine reminded Jack what caused the recent conflict. They spent most of their nights together, but kept separate flats. If they moved in together, they'd argue more. And he would have a harder time keeping the secrets Ianto needed.

The door opened and Gwen entered with Anwen. Jack turned and walked toward the main room, patting Ianto's arse. They needed to talk without arguing. Easier said than done. Maintaining a relationship between two people with incompatible world views was complicated. And painful.

"Get a room we're not in," Gwen said in amusement.

Jack flipped his wrist-strap open and scanned Anwen's new accessory. "It's a wrist-strap similar to mine. With DNA encoding and a chronon signature." He wondered why the readings looked familiar.

"How do we remove it?"

Jack looks at Gwen. "We don't."

She didn't like that answer. "Where did it come from?"

"I don't know." Except the scan readings looked familiar. Wrist-straps were customized. He didn't remember one designed to conceal itself, or any instance where one was re-purposed. The only idea he had was future Torchwood. It didn't explain how or why.

* * *

Ianto Jones waited by the coffee pot mentally reviewing his to-do list. Landscaping, inventory, maintenance review. He wanted to plant annuals, but didn't have time. Which was his fault. Torchwood London authorized hiring more personnel, but he made excuses. For the most part, the jealousy was unfounded. But he couldn't help it.

Jack walked over, set his chin on Ianto's shoulder and a hand lightly on his opposite hip. A gesture Ianto viewed as an affectionate demand for information. He was trapped between a hug and the counter.

"You're tense," Jack prompted.

"I have a lot to do." It was no secret why.

"Are you mad about the flat or the applicants?"

Ianto hesitated, knowing it's pointless. "Yep."

"Do you want to interview support staff?" Jack gave it a moment. "A doctor wants to transfer from London." Amusement crept into his voice. "She can keep up with Tosh." He paused. "And has Owen's bedside manner."

"That's why she's leaving London. Owen was promoted to head of medical." Jack was trying to politely point out the hiring paranoia was unjustified. "Are we good?"

"Yeah." Ianto knew better than to argue, but he couldn't help it. "Sharing a flat is reasonable." And it was proof of commitment.

Jack sighed. "We need to stop doing this."

Ianto sadly agreed. Although Jack didn't bring company home, out of consideration, it would be harder to keep the details to himself. A compromise they made years ago. Understanding and accepting were unfortunately two different things. "I can't."

"We will figure it out."

Ianto nudged Jack back and turned around. They hugged. Regardless of their differences or arguments, they were determined to make it work. Argentina changed everything. Ianto expected the transfusion of Jack's blood to kill him. Even if Ianto had known the potential side-effects, he would have done it anything. Neither of them expected to survive. Instead, he woke Jack's equal. They were immortal and bonded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Moss-Probert Research Facility; Cardiff, Wales**

Not for the first time since returning to Cardiff, John Hart wondered what he was doing. Promise or no promise, his connection to Torchwood died in 2049. She opted to go down with the ship instead of stay with him. They could have gone anywhere. Done anything. He owed her nothing. Except he did. She cleaned him up, dried him out and somehow convinced him to stay that way. He knew when he met her that Torchwood was everything. To save Earth, she would have sacrificed anything. And did.

After checking his watch, John flipped open his wrist-strap and disabled the facility's security system. If he hadn't already known MP conspired with aliens, the technology would have convinced him. Intel provided a different picture. Their understanding and ability to adapt the complicated and partially incompatible tech implied direct alien involvement. It was initially assumed the advancements had been salvaged by a crashed spacecraft or pieces that came through the Rift.

A puzzle for another day, John concluded. They had a prisoner escape to arrange.

John scanned the computer system for the intercom. As expected, it had an internal communication option. It appeared linked to security. Which fit. Outside an emergency, they had no reason to make an announcement. The majority of the people in the old hospital facility were unwilling patients. No one experimenting on unwilling human test subjects cared about their wellbeing.

Overriding the system protections and redundancies went quickly. John activated the intercom and transferred a prerecorded message. Then steadied himself for the sound of her voice.

"Torchwood has a zero tolerance policy for unethical research. We find that empowering victims serves as a deterrent. While your target victims are chosen for their broken or submissive personalities, they will fight back given the opportunity to do so."

John smiled sadly. And waited for the signal. When the VIPs were secured, and the others clear of the building, he would place charges. During the evacuation would have been faster. But risked early detonation. The VIPs were too important.

After his wrist-strap chimed the all clear, he went to work. The explosion needed to make a statement. It was unlikely any of the survivors and Steven, they wouldn't live to repeat the intercom message. Partway through wiring the explosives, he heard an unrelated detonation. He flipped open his wrist-strap and quickly scanned the facility. One of the survivors blew up the lab. Impressive, but not a problem. He needed to find and evacuate the person before he detonated.

Another chime indicated a message. John accepted it. "Miriam Morgans is in the building."

John swore in a language from his Time Agent days, and used his portal device. There were few guarantees in life. Miriam hated Moss-Probert. With a passion bordering on insanity. She would destroy the building. And anyone that got in her way. A series of explosions combined with his. The ground shook as the building collapsed. Proving what he already knew. Miriam was not someone to anger.

When Steven finally arrived, his injuries explained why he was late. "Thomas didn't realize I was helping people," he explained. The pain was evident in his tone.

"Miriam's Thomas?" John seemed to remember her saying he was passive.

Steven nodded and grimaced. "With all the Thomas stories Miriam told, she never once mentioned he was a first gen biomech with an alien exoskeleton.

"She always said he was unique." John smiled.

As the sirens neared, Steven said, "We have to get out of here."

"Did Charon get the VIPs?"

"Everyone." Steven portaled out.

John followed.

* * *

 **Hughes Flats**

Gwen Cooper poured another mug of coffee. It was that kind of morning. A hang up call work them early. Then a personalized alien device somehow attached itself to Anwen. Jack didn't know how that was possible. What was Rhys' response?

"Why did you have to go up there before work?"

She sipped coffee. Having already explained the wrist band mystery repeatedly, she doubted she could keep her temper. Not with Rhys' skewed priorities.

"You spend enough time with him already."

Do not yell, Gwen told herself again.

"Mornings are for family," Rhys emphasized.

Calm, relaxing breakfasts where they discuss the day's possibilities. Mom has PTA. Dad has a full schedule at the office. And their well-mannered daughter had home economics.

"Stop it," Anwen declared, entering the kitchen. "Cadoc's wife left him for more money. He was an idiot for marrying her." She seethed. "Mom is not leaving you for Uncle Jack. Stop being an arse."

"You will not take that tone with me," Rhys retorted angrily.

"Act your age and I won't have to."

Gwen's mobile rang. She picked it up off the counter. Andy at 7 AM, she thought, wasn't good.

"It's family time," Rhys bellowed.

She pressed connect and walked toward the main room. "Cooper."

Sirens and loud voices were in the background. "Morning." Andy Davidson sounded stressed. She could hear a busy scene in the background. "Do you know where the old hospital is?" He described the location. "It's beyond description, Gwen. Some type of research facility. The firefighters finally have the fire under control." He lowered his voice. "Possible alien technology."

"Send me the details."

They exchanged byes and the call ended.

"Jack can wait!"

Calm, Gwen repeated. "That was Andy." She turned. "Requesting assistance."'

* * *

Ianto Jones stayed in Jack's flat to use the office. One more reason they should live together, he thought absently as he checked the system. Connecting to the hub took longer than usual. He was wondering if he would have to drive to the office when a log-in screen appeared. He signed in with the required retina scan. While it was a normal security procedure, it seemed different.

"Update complete," the computer announced. It then presented a list of notifications.

Puzzled, Ianto scrolled through. He was the last one out of the hub last night. No updates were scheduled or programmed. London could change his profile, but the differences were personal, including officially changing his title to Torchwood Three Office Manager. The Institute had argued that he was no more than support for years and the only reason it was an issue was his relationship with Jack. He wouldn't have changed anything without mentioning it.

Ianto quickly found his mobile and entered Jack's number. Not only the modifications, but the timing worried him. Anwen thought time changed. Then she received a wrist-strap supporting the idea. Now the hub was reporting unexplained updates.

Jack answered. "Not there yet."

"We have another problem." Ianto explained what he knew. "One notification indicates structural changes. More rooms, additional storage. Maintenance robots." It was a type of redesign he would have suggested if he thought it was possible.

"Run scans."

"Jack, Anwen sensed Rift energy and chronons. Could the present have been altered by the past or the future through the Rift?"

"Possibly." Jack didn't like the idea.

"Why now?"

"Checking building security. Talk to Rhys."

The call ended leaving Ianto to wait on scans and diagnostics and think. If it was the future, it had to be Torchwood. Accessing and remodeling the hub required extensive knowledge. Motivation offered more possibilities than he could imagine. The arrogance of making changes, particularly how the wrist-strap would affect Anwen, supported the theory. A future version of Jack came to mind. Except he would have notified himself. And giving a child a wrist-strap didn't fit. Unless the future Torchwood agent that made the changes was Anwen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Moss-Probert Research Facility**

Jack Harkness parked the Torchwood van on the access road behind emergency vehicles. Fire engines outnumbered PD, ambulances and the morgue. That suggested difficulty extinguishing the fire. Cardiff unfortunately had a lot of experience over the years. Torchwood quietly added to the city's equipment funds. That many engines indicated an unusually bad situation.

"What do we know?"

Gwen sat in the passenger seat with a laptop remotely accessing the hub's computer. "The old hospital was purchased by Moss-Probert, a pharmaceutical research company, three years ago. Their website claims they study plants. One conspiracy site accuses them of human experimentation." She tapped the screen. "There have been an increase in missing persons according to police statistics across Great Britain since the facility opened. The Rift grabs random people. The majority of the missing are in need of medical attention and/or homeless."

'Why now?' Jack thought, Ianto's question replaying in his head. Coincidences, even extreme coincidences happened. If the future changed the past right before a new case with ugly potential, the situation was a lot worse than the details suggested.

"Coordinate with the police." Jack motioned through the wind screen at Andy. "Take pictures for facial rec and plates," he added as she opened the door.

Jack climbed out of the van worried about more than usual at the beginning on a possible investigation. They needed more information. The wrist-strap nagged at him. Vortex manipulators were customized. He recognized the configuration. He knew the agent. Too much had happened since he left the Time Agency. Memories faded. The puzzle distracted him as he walked toward the ruins.

One problem at a time, he thought, spotting the suits. Civilians should not have been allowed at a crime scene. Their clothes and cars suggested they were well-paid businessmen and women. Money sometimes meant power which could explain their presence. They were somehow associated with the facility.

Whatever Jack could say about his long, unique life, he had a lot of experience reading people. He chose a casual approach. Combined with his ridiculous social reputation, it often resulted in people underestimating him. The business people noticed as he walked over.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he announced. "Torchwood."

A pretty man in an expensive suit extended his hand. "Tedmond Lake. Moss-Probert."

Jack shook it.

"Torchwood investigates fires?" The man smiled, oozing charm.

Jack smiled. "We investigate anything strange."

"As long as we're not wasting your time."

"Meeting new people is never a waste."

Lake removed a business card from his wallet. "Call me if you have any questions." His hand lingered against Jack's briefly.

"I will."

Attempting to flirt under the circumstances spoke volumes about him. It definitely wasn't a waste of time. The company sent Lake for PR and damage control. Why? What did the company need to distract the media from? Torchwood? Jack found his mobile as he walked away. Even if Ianto had to use the Internet for initial background, they needed more information.

* * *

Gwen Cooper eyed the scene as she walked over to Andy. It wasn't secured. Too many unnecessary people near a dangerous situation. The explosive force required for the damage was above and beyond. Torchwood or not, it was some type of message. Terrorism usually resulted in more common sense.

"Why didn't PD clear the site?" Gwen asked quietly.

Andy kept his voice down. "Damage control." He didn't like the idea. "Moss-Probert has city contracts. Locking the scene before Torchwood arrived was premature."

"What is the media being told?"

"Anti-science extremists."

While that was possible, Gwen thought, she doubted it. Eco-terrorists and animal rights extremists had been known to use explosives, but used different methods. "Any reason to support a religious or environmental motive?"

"No." Andy lowered his voice further until it was almost a whisper. "Two of the firefighters know we worked PD together and showed me suspicious debris. I took pictures." He found his mobile and quickly found them. Then handed her the phone. "It's been removed."

"How?" Gwen flipped through the pictures.

"An extra bomb squad arrived to assess the damage and left quickly."

Gwen had no doubt it was a Torchwood case. "Send me these." The question was who interfered. Removing evidence implicated the company. Using a specialty PD unit suggested the government, UNIT or Torchwood London. The last two would have claimed the scene, more likely than not, and explained themselves. Jack needed to sort it.

Speaking to a few firefighters, and morgue techs, she confirmed what Andy told her. And more. The extra bomb squad guys used a civilian vehicle. They removed pieces of debris and one of the bodies. Several witnesses took pictures. She thanked them for copies and passed out business cards. They might have enough for facial recognition.

Emergency workers offered several advantages as witnesses. Reliably identifying people violating city policy and safety procedures was one of them. They also tended to stay calm and think about evidence. A paramedic commented that the extra bomb squad wore the wrong type of uniform boots. And one was nervous or twitchy. He definitely wasn't a bomb tech.

When Gwen returned to the van with Jack, she had a growing list of questions and none were good. A company openly removing evidence was rare, and usually involved impulsive actions rather than planning and coordination. It suggested Moss-Probert was prepared to clean up after itself. With any investigation, the way criminals concealed evidence said a lot about them. This was not MP's first offense.

"Evidence was removed." Gwen handed Jack her mobile.

* * *

 **Moss-Probert Corporate Headquarters; London, England**

The spacious office inspired claustrophobia. Percy Heitt poured himself a drink. Listening to firsthand accounts, and reading reports left him tired. The facility was a total loss. The staff was dead. The research projects escaped. And they had no idea who did it or why. Damage control and reclaiming the projects were a necessity and problematic. Publicity would be manipulated. Law enforcement managed.

The door opened as Heitt returned to his desk. Albreda looked as tired as he felt. It had been a long day and would get longer. "Lake and Caudell are waiting."

Hewitt nodded. "Show them in."

Lake always reminded him of a chameleon. He could blend with any surroundings, often convincing people he had a charmed upbringing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. His social presentation was almost as impressive as his street skills. A useful sociopath. Caudell had similar blending skills. And fewer ethics. The former military man followed orders and asked few questions. Unlike Lake.

"The situation is a disaster." Heitt barely keep his anger in check. "How did Torchwood get involved?"

Lake sat forward in a chair across his desk. "Sergeant Andy Davidson. He's an unofficial liaison between the Cardiff police department and Torchwood."

Heitt nodded. "Did they find anything?"

"Possibly. Constables and firefighters may have photographed debris before it was removed," Lake said. "One of the scientists has a Middle Eastern grandmother. We can connect her to terrorism and blame the damage or anything Torchwood suspects on that. He passed a government background check. The blame would not be ours."

"Do it." Heitt dismissed Lake. Then waited until the door closed behind him. "Anything on the test subjects?"

"CCTV footage of unmarked lorries leaving the area."

"Good. Find them."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Anwen Williams reorganized her horse figurines on another boring afternoon. She could still picture the horse farm her mom took her to last spring. Beautiful, arrogant creatures. She held her small Arabian and smiled. One day she'd race across the countryside with her hair flying behind her. Her mother arranged a ride around the paddock. They only had English saddles. Western were cooler. Romantic nonsense, she knew, but she liked cowboys.

She watched old movies as her mom and dad thought the newer ones weren't age appropriate. A friend's parents let them watch Cowboys and Aliens. The ridiculous movie made her think of her mother's job. It was like a western. A wily gunfighter standing up against insane odds. Her friends thought she liked Daniel Craig because he was James Bond. She preferred Jake Lonergan.

Movies, and possible new movies, were forefront on her mind when she sensed him. An energy signature similar to her uncle's. The back door alarm should have sounded but hadn't. He was probably a friend of Jack's. Curious, and bored, she grabbed the alien lock-pick and small weapon she'd taken from her mom's collection. The building was as secure as her uncle could make it. Being able to defend herself was comforting somehow. Or maybe she'd watched too many westerns. She didn't want to be rescued.

Through the doors, and down the stairs, she wondered what the stranger was doing. If he was checking the security, that wasn't in the basement. Jack or mum would have called dad if there was a problem. She hesitated before entering the basement as it occurred to her that he might be an intruder.

If he was a threat, she justified they needed to know. The basement had dimmer light and smelled funny. She walked down the hall and approached the door. She used one device to unlock the storage door and gripped her weapon. With an outstretched hand, she opened it and stepped back out of view.

"Who's there?" Anwen hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

"The tooth fairy." The man sounded amused.

Unsure what to say, she went with the first thing that came to mind. "Like in Hellboy 2?"

He laughed.

"Why are you here?" Anwen wondered aloud.

"Can you sense me?"

"You're a Time Agent," she decided, "Like Uncle Jack."

"Captain John Hart. I work for Torchwood."

"No." She should have called Jack. "You tried to kill my mum."

"A long time ago, Anwen. I work for Torchwood thirty years from now."

"The time changes. Why?"

"To prevent something bad from happening." Which made sense, if he was telling the truth.

"Why would you care? You threw Uncle Jack off a roof, and blew up half of Cardiff."

"Yeah. I met a woman who worked for Torchwood. She saved my life," John explained.

"Right."

"I won't hurt you."

As crazy as it was, Anwen believed him. She stepped into the doorway. John Hart looked normal. Shorter than Jack with lighter hair, wearing business casual clothes, and an open wrist-strap. It reminded her of the one permanently attached to her wrist.

"Going to tell someone I'm here?"

"Depends." She held up her arm. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

He barely glanced at her. "It's for future use. You weren't expected to figure it out for years. It's dangerous right now."

She hesitated. "You can't stay here. Uncle Jack will find you."

John turned to her. "You need to be very careful. Don't talk to anyone outside of your family or Jack about any of this. The wrist-strap can save your life. But it can make you a target."

The really weird part was he sounded sincere. "What do you do for Torchwood?"

"I'm a mercenary."

She wasn't sure of the situation, but he wasn't telling her something. "What are you doing?"

"Adding a secondary security system. Check this out." He tapped the open computer panel and her wrist-strap chimed.

She opened it, and an automated voice said, "Testing building security."

"How do you have access?"

"We have remote connections to Torchwood Three," John explained. "It allows us to communicate with the hub and each other, if needed."

"Why?"

"Torchwood situations can be unpredictable."

* * *

John Hart listened as her small footsteps retreated. He needed air. Time travel was nothing new. Meeting a younger version of Anwen was different. The child reminded him of the women he knew: bold, curious, and self-assured. That world was gone, he reminded himself.

He reviewed the newest additions to the security system. The equipment had been sent back for the building, and gave him access to Jack's security. Everything looked good. Anwen's presence made him wonder if he set off an alarm. Which could be problematic. If she reported him, he'd have to approach Jack and explain. A conversion he hoped to delay as long as possible.

John headed outside. They had so much to do and he wasn't sure he could handle it. Steven waited behind the garage keeping a lookout in case Jack returned suddenly. Keeping secrets from him in Cardiff was nearly impossible. But necessary for the plan to work.

"How did Anwen find you?"

How did you know she did? John said instead, "She can sense me." Her ability had already been triggered.

Confused, Steven checked his wrist-strap again. "She didn't sound an alarm."

John shrugged.

"You got lucky." Steven turned toward their nearby flat, and started walking.

Adult Anwen caused a conflict between them the last five years. Steven wouldn't admit it, but he loved her. John didn't know specifically what happened between them fifteen or twenty years earlier. Torchwood, their mothers, or even their connection to Jack.

"At least she can defend herself."

John doubted it was that simple. Anwen had an incredible Rift ability. By the time he met her, she could sense and manipulate the Rift from London. An unimaginable power for an adult. For a preadolescent entering puberty in a repressed culture, it could endanger Cardiff.


	5. Chapter 5

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness scanned the hub before entering through the garage. The changes were impressive, and indicated the person who planned the redesign knew the facility. He knew he wasn't involved. The new layout looked more like Ianto planned it. For any number of reasons, it was possible he had.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked as they headed for the elevator.

Jack explained.

"Did we get weapon upgrades?"

"Yes." Jack hadn't thought of that. He reviewed his scan information again. "The hub's been turned into a bunker." He reconfigured his scan. "With improved breach sensors."

"We need to know what Moss-Probert used that facility for now."

Jack agreed. "Contact Tosh. Find out if it's on London's radar."

"They would have told us." Gwen didn't sound certain as she checked her mobile contacts.

What was bad enough to change the past? Without warning? Jack wondered as his office doors slid open. Nothing came to mind. But it suggested they were unprepared for something. Without more information, there was no way to know what until it happened. He hoped it wasn't another Miracle Day.

Jack's mobile rang as he hung up his coat. "Morning."

"Morning." Cory Lynch sounded worried. "You need to be careful with Moss-Probert."

"Why?"

"I overheard something months ago. Moss-Probert had an incident. A young woman from a wealthy family had a mental breakdown. She was traced to a homeless shelter. A Moss-Probert representative recruited her for a research study. Her family found out and demanded her return. The company claimed she left prior to the study. Two private investigators reportedly died trying to find her. She was found dead months later, conclusively identified and accidentally cremated before an autopsy could be performed."

"Can you send me the details?"

"It would lead back to me, Jack."

"Do I have to tell you to be careful?"

Cory chuckled. "I date older, wealthy, closeted men. I'm always careful."

"I wouldn't call that careful." Jack knew there was more to Cory's behavior than he admitted. They met through an older man Cory dated. The relationship had been a lot more then he'd admit. When the man died, Cory's view of everything, especially life, changed.

"It has it's moments. But the presents are always worth it." Pause. "You owe me dinner."

"When I'm in London again."

Cody ended the call.

Jack sat at his desk. How could Moss-Probert hide from Torchwood? London had people monitoring conspiracy sites and following up on certain criteria. To hide, particularly in Cardiff, MP needed help. The government could only conceal so much. Torchwood monitored unethical government research after questionable programs were found in multiple countries in the sixties and seventies. Who would have the knowledge and skills necessary to hide it? He hoped he was wrong. Torchwood was the only idea that came to mind.

* * *

Gwen Cooper chose a workstation and idly wondered if the changes included more offices. The conference room had good chairs but no workstations. She thought about converting a storage room more than once. But it wasn't practical. She couldn't justify the space.

She checked the computer presets for possible Torchwood situations. Nothing flagged in the police or city databases. Then she checked the information Andy sent and followed up. He had concerns that PD wasn't showing enough interest in the investigation. That fit with what they knew or suspected so far.

The question was where to start. Determining the type of research might be the best approach. She quickly found mailing lists for local suppliers. After a few incidents involving contaminated supplies and several pieces of seemingly haunted equipment, suppliers stopped complaining about Torchwood asking for information. Their cooperation made life easier at times.

This was one of them. Moss-Probert had various offices and facilities receiving scientific and medical shipments. One location caught her attention. Years earlier, Jack sent her undercover to a fertility clinic. It required a lot of research, and more than one uncomfortable conversation with Owen. Certain medical equipment was used exclusively in reproductive medicine. None of the Moss-Probert facilities listed fertility research. She started taking notes. One list was what the various facilities claimed to be researching. Another list was shipments and deliveries of medical and research equipment.

Then she checked what paperwork the company filled out. It didn't take much to conclude they were hiding the type and extent of their research. With that, an idea came to mind. Illegal pot growers were often found when the police checked their electricity usage. An office building with an undeclared facility would also have unusual energy requirements. At first glance, it looked normal. Than she checked for generators. One of their buildings reportedly had state-of-the-art solar panels on the roof. An article had been done about it. Between the standard energy use and the reported out-put of the solar power, the office building used significantly more energy than similar buildings in the same area.

Gwen went back and reviewed the conspiracy sites again. They tracked some population information. PD collected more. Various criminals, and aliens, had gone undetected because they targeted people that could disappear without being reported. The homeless, mentally ill and/or drug addicts were low risk (to the offender) victims. Someone had to notice and care before it was investigated.

* * *

Ianto Jones dropped Anwen off before heading to the hub. Assessing the changes would be easier on-site. He needed to walk through and familiarize himself with the new layout. What stood out was the obvious consideration he was given. London didn't care he existed. During the rebuild, a list of Institute employees was provided to the media. A reporter contacted him to ask why he wasn't on the list. A clerical error was the official explanation. Something obviously changed.

Ianto entered and looked around. Nothing stood out. He walked passed Gwen at a workstation and climbed the stairs to Jack's office. He looked worried. That was never a good sign. Ianto moved over to the side of the desk. Jack looked up.

"Did you find your office?"

"No. Is it a utility closet?"

Jack reached for Ianto's hand. "A converted maintenance room. Two desks and a work table."

Ianto shared his conclusions about London. "The office and promotion are considerate."

"Gwen was given her own weapons safe and equipment locker and no office." Jack handed Ianto a tablet computer.

Before Ianto could think of what to say, the intercom clicked. "We need to review Moss-Probert's medical equipment," Gwen said. "They have an undeclared bio-lab. The type needed for extremely dangerous infectious research. And a quarantine unit."

"Where?"

"I don't know. They purchased supplies and equipment specific to that type of facility."

Walking through the remodeled hub really made Ianto wonder. Quarantine, cell enhancements, cold storage, and hub defenses. The alchemy lab was turned into a bedroom. A second bedroom and a kitchen dining area had been added. He knew the future was preparing for multiple events. The changes offered clues as to what was going to happen. Whatever was coming was bad.

A more immediate question, Ianto thought, entering his office, was why he needed two desks and a work bench. The equipment and tools said it was for building or modifying computers or possibly robots. Skills he didn't have. He's never known Jack to use a workshop. _We're getting another person_ , he concluded.

An unfamiliar computer chime sounded. "Hi, Ianto." The voice was soft and unfamiliar. "You have the unfortunate distinction of being the most under-appreciated Torchwood agent in the history of Torchwood. People often underestimate the quiet heroes. The ones who face insane odds with the wrong skill-set. No matter how bleak it gets at times, your contributions are necessary and appreciated." She paused. "There will come a time when that changes. Until then, know that time is coming."


	6. Chapter 6

**Torchwood London, 2044**

Anwen Williams returned to her flat at Torchwood London wondering if she had the energy for dinner. One government leader said he didn't recognize the authority of Torchwood because he didn't believe in aliens or the Rift. A Middle Eastern ambassador refused to speak with a woman; she refused to give into to the misogynist arse. The other leaders, politicians and representatives also acted like small children. She was suppose to be arbitrating and negotiating, not babysitting a bunch of spoiled brats.

She smelled pot roast as she opened the door. It reminded her of coming home from school and dad cooking. She missed her parents, and silly conversations with Jack. After her mother died, Jack retreated. They still talked now and again, but it wasn't the same.

"You cook?"

John was in the kitchen area connected to the main room. He waited until she crossed the room to respond. "No." He smiled. "I told Cynthia you were overworked and losing weight."

Anwen laughed.

"Pot roast, vegetables from the vertical garden and a homemade pie."

His ability to charm people reminded her of Jack. A charming, mischievous rogue. Seeing him standing in her kitchen with dinner made it hard to believe he'd pushed Jack off a roof, tried to blow up Cardiff, and left her mum to die.

"I need to change." Anwen walked toward her bedroom.

"Cynthia dropped off your laundry this morning. The basket's on the bed."

Which explained how he charmed the head of housekeeping into making dinner. "Thanks."

Anwen changed and returned to the main room. John had already set the table. All she had to do was sit and eat. Simple, she thought, sitting across from John. Except nothing about him or their relationship was simple. The past he shared with Jack during their days with the Time Agency was weird at times, but easy to overlook. What happened with the radiation cluster bombs and later with Gray was complicated.

"How was daycare?"

That brought her thoughts back to the table. "What?"

"The arbitration with the 'adult tantrums.'"

Anwen smiled. She'd forget she told him that the night before. "A bunch of wankers. A friend of Jack's told me during a break that one of the representatives said I'm the head of Torchwood because I'm shagging Jack."

John laughed, almost choking. "You did say it was the family business."

Anwen threw a roll at him and hit in the head. He threw it back. Anwen laughed. John caught it the second time. Then moved around the table and jokingly threatened to crush the roll against her forehead. They laughed and kissed. However complicated his past, the present was simple. She needed someone that understood her.

Anwen Williams woke and rubbed her face. "What time is it?"

John stepped into the bedroom. "1000."

Puzzled, she pushed herself up. The curtains were drawn, but she could see sunlight beyond them. "How?"

"I called your assistant at 0600 and told him your phone was off."

Anwen laughed. "What did you threaten to do to Langford if he woke me?"

"Nothing you want to know about."

"Did he ask why?"

"I told him you were indisposed."

"You didn't." She chuckled as she climbed out of bed.

"No." John smiled. "He would have died of embarrassment."

"Yeah. I met Landford when I was twelve. His late wife watched me while my parents worked." She headed for the bathroom. "What time am I expected?"

"After lunch."

She peaked her head back out the door. "I thought I had an appointment with a representative."

"Javed Halim insisted on speaking with Jack."

"For the best. Halim is an old school women-should-be-seen-and-not-heard type. Sudan is having trouble with extremists." Anwen returned to the bathroom.

"You avoid him?"

She didn't respond for a few minutes. "Oh yeah. The last time I dealt with Halim, I walked into the meeting carrying a puppy and set it on the desk next to him."

John laughed. "What happened to diplomacy?"

"He was incapable of understanding how offensive he was. The puppy stated my case." Pause. "The man is an arse."

"I'd rather see your arse. Can I wash your back?

Anwen laughed. "We have a couple hours, right?"

* * *

 **Patty's Pub; London, England**

 **Sunday, June 23, 2019**

Percy Heitt focused on the situation from the passenger seat of a late model sedan borrowed from one of the employees. Albreda chose the location randomly. A seedy bar filled with low-end blue collar workers was the perfect cover; no one would know them.

Inconsistencies bothered him. Each of the subjects at the facility had extensive background checks and psychology testing. None should have been capable or even willing to rebel. An analysis of the facility's ruins said the explosives were created in one of the labs. They still didn't know who or why.

Albreda parked blocks away. She was uneasy about waiting in the car. He couldn't blame her. "Be careful."

Heitt nodded before climbing out of the car. The area was depressing. He walking passed the decrepit buildings and avoided eye contact with the derelicts. If he had his way, they would round up the lot of them. Military or research. Either way, they'd be useful. Allowing the homeless and wayward to congregate was a disgrace.

Inside of the pub was even worse. Dim lights did little to hide the grime. He ordered a bottle beer. He didn't trust anything that wasn't sealed. Then he found a table in the back away from the degenerates, and placed his back to the wall.

Arriving early gave him more time to think. Torchwood proved more complicated than expected. They had to get Torchwood to back down and get out of the way. Which required leverage. Once the local situation was resolved, they would quietly reopen their doors in an area without extradition treaties. Some would ignore the situation for varying reasons. Others would welcome them for enough money. They could lose all the real estate in the United Kingdom and stay afloat. But they needed their data. Having the projects alive was preferable, but dead worked. As long as they controlled all of it.

Heitt checked his watch. In less than an hour, he would be in the air headed for Russia. Moscow would work temporarily. The trip would even double as an alibi. But he had last minute details to attend.

Caudell entered the pub, ordered a beer at the bar and wandered over. The large, former military man looked at home anywhere. At the office, he wore expensive clothing and was polite, well-groomed and cultured. Whereas in a seedy pub, he wore cheap jeans, a t-shirt and work boots. Anyone looking at him would think he was a blue collar worker buying a beer on a day off. Or after working overnight.

"Did you review the information?" Heitt asked as Caudell sat across from him in the back of the pub.

"Yes." The younger man calmly folded his hands around a stein, seemingly uncaring his back was to a room full of degenerates.

"Can you do it?"

"Yes. I already had the team selected." Pause "Two million."

Heitt knew it would come down to money. Taking on Torchwood was neither pleasant nor easy. "Agreed."

"See you in Russia."

Heitt stood and calmly walked from the bar. No one paid any attention. Albreda started the car as he climbed in.

"Is plan B in place?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

Good, he thought. If Caudell failed, the block of flats would be destroyed. Either way, Captain Jack Harkness would know the price of interfering.

* * *

Stilleman Caudell waited until Heitt left to motion over his team. He'd served in the military with Bevans, Wogan and Cranmmore. Palfrey was recommended by someone he trusted. Without a word, they claimed chairs around the table. As instructed, they dressed to blend. Each had extensive experience in combat situations and had seen a lot worse than a decent building in Cardiff with unusual security precautions. Once they confirmed the Torchwood team was not in the building or specifically Captain Harkness was not, it would be a pretty simple matter of getting through the adult or adults and grabbing the kid.

"We're doing this, sarge?" Wogan sounded nervous. No one listening would realize the kid survived two tours in the Middle East. In a war zone, he was frosty. Social situations were another story.

"Yeah. Heitt agreed." Caudell told them he was demanding a million instead of two. He had higher stands of living.

Bevans sat back and sipped his beer. He wasn't sure about the situation, but he wasn't backing out. Not unexpected. He was the oldest and had the most experienced in the group.

Palfrey nodded. "We have building schematics?"

Caudell brought up the blueprints on his tablet and handed it to Palfrey. "Only two occupied flats. Harkness and Jones live on the fourth floor. The Williams live on the third."

"We're attacking Torchwood." Bevans sat forward. "We won't be able to stay in the UK when this is over. Do we have an extraction plan?"

"Yes." Caudell had multiple plans. Russia was not the only non-extradition country. Depending on how it went, they could leave several ways. Ideally, they would grab the kid, make the exchange, and board a plane at a barely maintained airstrip north of Cardiff.

"Any chance its a set-up?" Bevans asked.

Caudell had considered it. Percy Heitt was a self-serving asshole who would sell his mother to get ahead. Caudell had reviewed the situation from different angles. There were any number of complications. Heitt wouldn't benefit by screwing them. If he did sell them out, Caudell was prepared for that too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sanatorium Park; Cardiff, Wales**

Timing was a recurring concern. Jack Harkness knew it wasn't unusual or even uncommon to have unrelated situations. Aliens and artifacts passed through the Rift randomly. With the changes, and the growing number of concerns, he questioned everything.

The scene was chaotic. Emergency workers had barricades established. Several police cars, two fire engines, and a morgue van. Two reporters were setting up equipment just outside the barricade. It would be a media circus before long.

"Torchwood," Jack announced to the officer at the nearest barricade. He smiled and the young man looked down and blushed.

Gwen shook her head. "I can't take you anywhere." She sat in the passenger seat with one of the tablets from the hub.

Jack smiled as he parked. "What do we know?"

"Not much. Teenagers walking in the park found what they believe was a body. They reported an alien probe eating it." That amused her. "Responding police officers assumed the kids were high. They still haven't ruled it out, but they did find what may have been a body with some type of metal thing embedded in it." Pause. "Padrig Toller, the senior constable, opted to call us instead of the morgue because the surrounding vegetation is dead."

"Have they considered it's a bio-hazard?" A ghoulish display made more sense for Halloween.

"No. Karlen Bryn, the other constable, suspects it's a prank. She's worked security at universities for extra cash and says it looks like a student prank."

Jack doubted it. "Have they secured the area?"

"Yeah. Hold on." Gwen tapped the screen. "Toller is now reporting the tent placed over the remains is dissolving."

"Evacuate the park. Possible hazmat situation. Get a helo in the air for additional photographs." The police should have done it immediately. Bizarre situations in Cardiff hadn't been a secret for years.

Gwen grabbed her mobile from the charger. "Could this be a distraction, Jack?"

"What?"

"Moss-Probert has called in favors, destroyed evidence, and there are no witnesses. I make progress on tracing one of their affiliate companies and suddenly we have a strange body."

"What would the distraction accomplish?"

Gwen held up her hands. "I don't know. Give them time to make evidence disappear?"

"Call Ianto."

They climbed out of the van. Curious voices carried. People watched. Jack couldn't help but wonder if a public spectacle was intentional. The hub changes made him more paranoid than usual. But it did looked staged. What he could decide is what it accomplished other than distracting them.

Gwen made the call as Jack lead toward the river. The area showed a lot of foot travel. It would be a reasonable assumption that anything planted there would be quickly and easily found. The remains were on a patchy grass area next to the River Ely. He could see why the kids described it as an alien probe eating a body. It looked like a low budget horror film.

Jack stepped into the trees and flipped open his wrist-strap. "Scattered alien metal, a few broken devices, and a malfunctioning miniature maintenance bot. Decay from the body suggests it came from a morgue."

"Distraction," Gwen concluded. "Can you deactivate the bot?"

Jack tapped his wrist-strap. "Tell the police it's not dangerous, but will take hours to clean up. The park needs to stay closed."

"Why would Moss-Probert do this?"

"I don't know." Jack paused to think. "Call Andy. Tell him to monitor all emergency calls. Anything unusual or involving Moss-Probert, we need to know immediately."

* * *

 **Hughes Flats**

Anwen Williams sat at the kitchen table watching an old western. She wanted to watch a new one, but that required figuring out how to get passed the child safety controls. She eyed her wrist-strap briefly. From watching her uncle, she knew it could control certain technology. She had no idea how it worked. With her father working off restless energy on his to-do list, he could walk through the room at any time and catch her.

Then the back door alarm sounded. Anwen stood and hurried for her stash of weapons. The irony wasn't lost on her. Her parents objected to most streaming videos as being inappropriate and had no problem with her tech. Finding and securing it required simple scans.

"We have a security breach," her dad said into his mobile. "I don't know." His tense body language answered one question. Mom and Jack were across town.

Unsure of what else to do, Anwen made a decision. She stepped back into her bedroom and flipped open her wrist-strap. "John Hart."

After a moment, he asked, "Miss me?" He sounded puzzled.

"The back door alarm went off. It's just me and dad. I don't know where mom and Jack are but they're not close."

"Five minutes." John disconnected.

* * *

John Hart entered through the back entrance. Then paused, listening. His hearing was impressive, and he heard nothing. He scanned the building with the basic security equipment he installed earlier. There were five intruders. One in the stairwell. They were trying to manually unlock the doors. They had no idea how the tech they used to enter worked. Steven entered from the roof. He would handle the fourth floor.

Unsure of a better approach, John contacted Anwen using their wrist-straps. "I need to talk to your dad?"

Rhys asked, "Who is this?"

"I'm John. I work for Torchwood London. Are you armed?"

"Yeah."

John quickly explained the situation. "Do not engage unless you have to." From what Anwen had said about her father, he doubted the advice was necessary.

He quickly disrupted their ear pieces and headed for the stairs. The look out was on the second floor. Just below him, John removed a miniature stun grenade from his pocket, and tossed it up the stairs; it detonated. He withdrew his holstered gun. When he peered around the corner, the man wasn't dazed. A shot grazed John's arm. He tossed a second grenade and instead of waiting, as he had before, he spun around the corner and caught the man preparing to withstand the grenade.

The man was still alive. John hurried around the corner, and shot him a second time point blank in the head. Then ran up the remaining stairs. He could only assume they were biomechs although he had no idea how. With that in mind, he quickly jury-rigged two different types of grenades before opening the third floor door. He tossed them together, destabilizing a second biomech. It was messy, but solved the problem.

The Williams' door was open when he reached it. John heard a shot before he stepped in. A man, dressed all in black, was backing toward the door. He underestimated Rhys Williams. Another shot sounded and the man fell. Rhys stepped out of the bedroom.

As the intruder died, he started to transform. A black mass bubbled from an artifact in the man's chest. A crunching sound and metal crashing followed. It didn't take much to guess what was happening.

"Get back in the room. Shut the door!" John retreated quickly to the hallway.

"What happened?" Anwen asked over his wrist-com.

"Dead man's switch." John didn't have time to explain. "Can you sense the creature by the door?"

"Uh." Anwen closed her eyes and concentrated. When she realized she wasn't looking for an energy signature, but a negative, she found it. "I can sense it. I don't know what it is."

"Throw it into the Rift."

"How?"

"I don't know. I never asked." John sighed. "You can throw it into the Rift."

Anwen had a different idea. She focused on the beautiful ribbon over head, feeling the familiar, tingling energy. She channeled the energy into the nothing, and the Rift absorbed it. And lost her balance immediately, feeling dizzy and nauseous. "Is it gone?"

John quickly scanned the area. "Yeah."

"I don't feel well."

"Rhys, you need to put her in the shower. As cold as you can get it."

"Everything glows." Anwen sounded high.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Not for the first time, Gwen Cooper wondered about the price of working for Torchwood. She usually loved it. Working with Jack, she'd seen both the amazing and the impossible. Security issues were always a concern. Hughes Flats should have resolved some of the problems.

Gwen's mobile rang. "Are you okay?" She could hear the shower running in the background.

Rhys sounded relieved. "The bloke you sent took out four of the five of them."

"What bloke?"

"From Torchwood London. He had a thing on his wrist like Jack."

The only other wrist-strap Gwen knew of belonged to John Hart. "What happened?"

"The front of our flat was destroyed. The floor looks solid. The wall between the flat and the hallway, the kitchen counter, the table, the carpet." He hesitated. "It looks like a very strange bomb went off."

"Jack's pulling into the car park."

Gwen couldn't get passed the wrist-strap comment as she climbed out of the van. "Why would another Time Agent be on Earth?" She explained what Rhys said.

"I don't know. According to John, there were only seven left." Jack believed that much. "John's the only one that would come here."

Jack ran for the building and Gwen followed. They took the stairs instead of the lift. He paused to scan the body with a hand-held. "A biomech. The person who did this knew what they were doing."

What was happening, Gwen wondered as they continued up the stairs. When she stepped into the hallway and saw the damage, it was unbelievable. She stared. Over the years with Torchwood, she'd seen a lot. Melted cement was new. The more she thought about it, it looked more warped than melted. How did you survive that? Anwen sat on the floor with wet hair wrapped in a blanket. Visible through the giant hole in the wall. She looked up with tired eyes and a weak smile. Rhys hovered nearby, his clothing partially wet.

Gwen walked through the hole. "Are you up to telling me what happened?"

"It all started with the tooth fairy in the storage room…" Anwen tried recounting what happened as if it was a funny story. The humor didn't reach her eyes.

Gwen listened, having trouble connecting the John Hart who tried to kill her and the one who saved her family.

"When we talked about drugs, you said addicts could do horrible things," Anwen said. "It's a sickness."

"Yes."

"If John went to one of those places, maybe he's not sick anymore."

Even recovering addicts had serious problems. The immediate question was why John cared. There had to be something in it for him, but she had no idea what. She could imagine it had to do with getting back into Jack's good graces. Ten years had passed for them. John moved through time so it could be weeks or months for him.

"How old does John look?"

"Uncle Jack's age, maybe. His hair is grayer."

"Was he wearing a red coat?"

"No."

Rhys motioned her farther into the flat. Gwen followed him. They stepped into Anwen's bedroom farthest from the door. There was no damage, but the carpet near the bathroom was wet. The tile floor was soaked. She hadn't thought to ask why they were wet.

"What is it?" Rhys asked.

"What exactly did John say to you?"

Rhys paused to think. "He was from Torchwood London."

"Remember the man I told you about who worked with Jack before Torchwood? He tried to kill me, shot Owen, threw Jack off a roof? During another visit he blew up half of Cardiff."

Rhys shook his head slightly. "John was here to protect Anwen. She asked him for help and he came."

* * *

Jack Harkness scanned the damage again. Even with identical readings, he didn't believe what he was seeing. A creature that should have destroyed the building was taken by the Rift. While the Rift did remove people and items, it was random. This wasn't.

Jack looked up as Gwen stepped back into the hallway. She had an odd expression. "It was John." From her tone, that wasn't what concerns her the most. "Anwen can control the Rift."

Although Jack considered that unlikely, except it fit the readings. Another thought occurred to him as he was trying to piece together a scenario in his mind. He knew why Anwen's wrist-strap looked familiar. It was a replica of John's with a few modifications.

"Why would John protect Anwen?"

Everything starting with the wrist-strap lead to a future version of Anwen. The changes only she could sense. The hub modifications using designs Ianto would approve of and the promotion. From his own experiences with John, and the Time Agency, his less than ideal personality traits could be managed and even manipulated by someone he was emotionally involved with.

"Why?"

It was too soon to share the picture forming in his mind. If Anwen had the ability to change the past, it was likely she controlled Torchwood. Over time the job warped a person like the explosion damaged the wall. Figuring John out wouldn't take much, if she had access and possibly old stories. When he was in Cardiff last, he was having trouble coping. He needed a job and a mission. A bribe. Add a relationship and she'd have him.

"I don't know." Jack wanted to be wrong. John was a lot more complicated than most people realized. And smarter. If she lied to him he would figure it out. The consequences would be unpredictable and violent.

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats**

John Hart sat on the floor in his flat. After all he'd seen, done, and survived, he thought he'd never feel again. The sex, alcohol and drug addictions had been an unconscious attempt to feel. None worked. He'd been angry and lashed out, blaming others for what was missing.

He held up the simple necklace with a gold ring. It looked braided on top. Simple and solid without adornment, like the woman it belong to. She had been many things to him. He chose peace for the inside engraving. It was the one thing no one else had ever given him.

With a sigh, he tucked it back under his shirt. She was gone. When the time changes started, the woman he knew and loved ceased to exist. If he lived to see her again, he would be too old, and the circumstances leading to their relationship couldn't be repeated.

Unable to handle the memories or pain, he forced himself to focus on the laptop and Stilleman Caudell's flash drive. It had unexpected information. Caudell had been hired to abduct Anwen. The goal was extortion. Security and alien tech details were minimal. The building blueprints came from the city and included what floor and flat the Williams lived in. Which could have been determined from utility records. The result of shooting Caudell appeared to be secondary. He doubted Moss-Probert knew the consequences of what they intended.

Anwen's ability was unknown to them. Even after destroying the creature, they should have assumed Jack's defenses did it. Although, he couldn't guarantee it. If they figured it out, the next attempt on Anwen would be a power grab.

The gaps and inaccuracies suggested the information wasn't firsthand. The psychological profile on Jack was hilarious. Egomaniac and sex-crazed. His immortality was reduced to fast healing. Caudell either suspected a set-up or alternatively Moss-Probert wanted to plant information. Which could mean the profile was intended to be insulting. Either way, one of them expected Torchwood to act on it. It wouldn't take much to determine whether MP would benefit from it. That would tell him the intel's purpose.

After improving Jack's security net, and his own, he could work on the MP problem. It helped that Anwen had a tracking device. Jack had changed a great deal since the days they worked together. But his methods were much the same. It meant he knew where Anwen was all the time.

Steven entered the room. "That alien was off script." The accusing tone said what his words didn't.

John looked up. "I don't know." He'd seen damage done by the creatures more than once as a Time Agent. In the future on the other side of the galaxy. "If I knew it was there, we would have brought different equipment. Killing the last intruder was basically a dead man's switch. He needed to be placed in medical stasis." There was no way he would have allowed it anywhere near Anwen.

"Someone else is manipulating time?"

John shrugged. "Our being here could have unexpected consequences."


	9. Chapter 9

**Mae'r Chwaer Hyll; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Tuesday, June 25, 2019**

Unsure of how else to make contact, Jack Harkness made arrangements through Anwen. John reluctantly agreed and named a time and place. He sounded different. Time had passed since his last visit to Cardiff and something changed him. That could be good or bad, depending on how it happened.

The pub was busy on a Saturday afternoon. Pool balls clashed on one side of the room. Televisions murmured in one corner and over the bar. Jack walked around tables full of happy, noisy people. John sat as expected in the back. His clothes were similar to what showed in the building's CCTV footage. He was eating dinner and drinking water. He looked up from his tablet a moment before switching it off.

"Which speech am I getting first?" John sounded amused. "Breaking into your house? Talking to your niece? Or violating territory?" John sipped his water.

"Moss-Probert." Jack sat across from him.

"Down to business. MP is a corporation involved in genetic engineering. Torchwood policy changed at some point from arresting the scientists to executing them. Countries quietly hunted them for knowledge and experience in combining contemporary and alien technology for military purposes."

"And you just know that?"

"One of the varied duties Torchwood assigned involved soldiers. Having been one yourself, you sympathized with the conscripted. I hunted them." John shrugged. "There was nothing anyone could do except put them down."

Jack suspected there was a lot more to it. "What did Torchwood offer?"

"Varaxi crystals. Boxes came through the Rift. The boss paid me two an assignment. Except MP soldiers." John smiled. "I expected hazard pay."

Jack laced his fingers together. "Two crystals an assignment?"

John's smiled broadened. "She offered two originally and lied about how much she thought they were worth. To make me think I was conning her."

It sounded plausible. "Why are you here?"

John's humor faded. "Earth was at war with itself and aliens. Torchwood believed they came through the Rift originally from another time line or universe, and determined when they started affecting Earth. It was necessary to combat the influence. Which is why they needed me."

Jack knew he was missing something. "How were you recruited?"

"The boss used recovered alien technology and scans of your vortex manipulator to abduct me. She then offered the crystals in exchange for an assignment."

"She's someone I know."

John nodded.

"How is Anwen involved in this?"

"She's the boss. The head of Torchwood in 2049." John hesitated. "This isn't a conversation we should be having."

"Anwen sent back a malfunctioning wrist-strap and you to protect her?"

John shook his head. "Except it isn't malfunctioning. Anwen knew how her ability would manifest. After her younger self knew how it worked, she'd make a bad target."

Jack knew John wasn't telling him everything. The pronounced change was a lot more than being bribed with a king's random. "What happened to you?"

"I almost died. A Torchwood woman cleaned me up and dried me out. Cliche romance."

"Where is she now?"

John looked at the table, the pain written across his face. "She's gone."

Shit, Jack thought. No matter how Anwen did it, they had a serious problem. John tied his recovery and his "second chance" on a woman that died. Even if she hadn't manipulated him, the affect would fade. He'd be there ally while the guilt and the pain lasted. Or rather he'd follow Torchwood 2049 orders while it lasted.

* * *

Steven Carter sat nearby nursing a drink and keeping an eye on scan results. While he didn't know the details, he knew his grandfather didn't trust John. It was entirely possible that Jack arranged the meeting to capture his old friend. But there was no indication of a trap.

The waitress brought his supper order. "Thanks." Under other circumstances, Steven would have flirted.

Instead he felt like an idiot holding onto the memory of a woman that rejected him years ago. Watching Anwen fall in love with a man that had once been his grandfather's lover felt like something out of a tabloid or a talk show she joked about when they were younger.

Steven heard the familiar sound of Jack's boots and looked up. It was hard to fake not knowing some one. Lying to Jack was damn near impossible. "You look like Captain Harkness." Stupid might work.

"Have we met?"

"No."

Jack looked skeptical. "You look familiar." Steven couldn't remember if his grandfather met his father. That made more sense than Jack recognizing him.

"Cool."

Steven knew he'd failed as Jack walked away. When the door closed behind him, Steven gave it a few minutes before carrying his dinner over to John. It didn't matter if they were seen together. If Jack didn't scan the area immediately, he would the next time they crossed paths. The wrist-strap illusion wouldn't prevent Jack from finding and recognizing it.

"You should have flirted with him." John chuckled.

"Right." Steven downed the rest of his drink.

John reached across the table and touched Steven's hands. "It's never to late to change your mind about men."

"I will shoot you." Steven couldn't help but smiled at the absurdity of the situation. Flirting was the best idea. Except he had no idea how to flirt with men, and didn't want to learn.

* * *

 **Moss-Probert Office; Moscow, Russia**

Percy Heitt reviewed reports at his desk in the new office. The building and neighborhood left much to be desired. The noisy downstairs neighbor was a wannabee record producer with an odd assortment of clients. Directly across from the wannabee was a modeling agency that either promoted porn or was a low rent escort agency. Whichever the case, the situation was mortifying.

The botched abduction attempt was a bigger headache. Caudell had a five man team including three biomechs. Captain Harkness and his paramour were across town. An unknown person or persons took out Caudell and the creature that should have destroyed the building. The police report claimed Rhys Williams and an unspecified guest of Harkness defended against the home invasion. Which wasn't possible. Scan readings of the building indicate the creature was transported into the Rift. Harkness was reportedly afraid of opening the Rift which meant someone else was involved.

Heitt could only conclude his information was flawed, including one or more unknown Torchwood agents in Cardiff. He reached for the phone. There was a London party planner who was very good at coordinating fundraisers. A wine tasting or an art gallery showing would work as a cover. Both for those in favor of the company's various projects and those who traded in information. It would be worth the expense.


	10. Chapter 10

**ACCEPTANCE**

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Wednesday, August 3, 2021**

Trying to balance work and a complicated relationship had it's moments. Ianto Jones stepped into his and Jack's flat as Jack left the bathroom partly dressed. Answering Jack's mobile had been a mistake. Expecting a problem, Ianto grabbed it without checking the screen. Cory provided a reasonable excuse. He knew about the relationship and agreement. The problem was that Cory was a secret Jack hadn't managed to keep.

"Cory called."

"You answered?" Jack walked over to his clothes for spare clothes.

"Yeah. He has information about a case, and wants to meet in person." Ianto knew it was possibly the truth.

Jack nodded. "Did he say when?"

"No. I told him to text the details." It was an awkward enough conversation.

Jack gave it a moment before turning and holding out his hand. Ianto walked over and accepted it. Ignoring it wasn't healthy. But neither was the conflict before they discussed their differences. They wanted very different things. After too many arguments, they compromised. He had to accept that Jack had no interest in long-term monogamy. Ianto wondered sometimes if he'd asked too much. Jack had to compartmentalize his life, forcing him to treat a part of his personality like a dirty secret. Ianto set his forehead against Jack's shoulder. He kissed the top of Ianto's head.

"I found your mobile in your office." Ianto shouldn't have answered, he reminded himself. "Tosh called me about a water sample. I was looking for you."

Jack released Ianto. "From where?" He started dressing.

"Dublin. A docked ship tested positive for the parasites from the Atlantic crash last December. It's last port was Cardiff." Ianto needed to check the files. From what he remembered, it had to be intentional contamination. It wouldn't have gone unnoticed for months, and the source had been contained.

"Who's handling it?"

"London. Doctor Kindra Corse will investigate." Ianto wasn't sure how to explain the complication.

Jack grabbed his shirt. "What's the problem?"

"Gwen needs to coordinate. Corse had a very bad experience with a male co-worker or boss before joining Torchwood. Owen off-handedly called her darling and she reported him for sexual harassment." If she could mistake Owen's attitude for sexual interest, she would definitely react badly to Jack.

"It can't interfere with the Moss-Probert investigation."

Ianto nodded. "I can deal with Dr. Corse, if needed."

"Are we good?"

"Yep." Ianto left before he had to think of something else to say.

Jack Harkness waited until the door closed to reach for his mobile. Cory had contacts throughout London. When he provided information, it usually came from overhearing conversations. Both his clients and lovers were socially and politically powerful.

The call rang twice. "Jack?" Cory asked tentatively.

"Yeah. What did you need?"

"To confirm plans. For tonight." Cory paused. "I made the reservation."

Jack had no idea what that meant. It suggested Cory wasn't alone. "Send me the details."

He lowered his voice. "Will anyone be checking your messages? It's a hotel."

Confused, Jack asked, "Why?" The few times they met for sex, he made arrangements. He doubted it involved the promised dinner in London. That probably would have landed them in bed without demands.

"It's private."

"Be careful." The conversation made Jack suspicious. If nothing else, Cory was consistent. Providing information, particularly if there was something in it for him, wasn't unusual. Scheduling meetings in hotel rooms and refusing to explain why didn't make sense.

"You too." The call ended.

Jack did not look forward to explaining it. Best case scenario he could quietly meet with Cory. Jack wished, not for the first time, he could simply tell Ianto. But the conversation would devolve. One more thing they avoided to keep the peace. He had no idea how they made it more then ten years.

While tracking Moss-Probert, Gwen Cooper found an extensive network of questionable and illegal businesses. Half or more was unrelated distractions. Fraud, identity theft, and petty crimes. It looked like someone was throwing every small time criminal under the bus in an effort to distract her.

Gwen moved into the science lab and had dozens of searches running at the same time. Armed with advice from Tosh, she was trying to set-up the person targeting her investigation. She needed someone with vice and white collar experience. There had to be a logic behind it. But she needed a frame of reference to find it.

The door opened and Anwen entered. After the attack on the building, she stated home from daycare. More than the safety concerns, there were issues with her brain scans. Whatever she did to that alien affected her. The Rift energy had thankfully faded.

"I thought you were in the garden."

Anwen groaned. "Audrey needs to be feed."

Gwen smiled. The carnivorous plant had an attitude problem. "Did you tell Ianto?"

"I was going to." Anwen moved over to her mother. "But something upset him. I think he had an argument with Uncle Jack."

That was nothing new. Gwen wondered at times why they stayed together. Then she'd remember her and Rhys kept having stupid arguments. "Do you have something to read?"

"No. Uncle Ianto gave me a computer with a content filter. It flagged the horse sites for discussing where foals come from." Anwen held out the tablet.

Gwen laughed and accepted it. "Have you looked for digital library books?"

Unamused, Anwen said, "The _age appropriate_ books say horses have four legs and eat hay." Pause. "See Trigger Run."

"You could always do your homework."

"I'm still traumatized."

"Uh, huh." Gwen nodded. "Find Ianto and have him feed the plants." She held up the tablet. "Then we can discuss books that weren't written for preschoolers."

* * *

Anwen Williams walked back toward the garden. She didn't know how to easily find Ianto. She eyed the black band on her wrist. John said it was connected to the hub. Maybe it could help. There had to be safeties to keep her from damaging something. No one would give a kid the technology to disrupt a Torchwood office. At least she didn't think so.

Anwen walked over to the nearest access panel and flipped open her wrist-strap. Nothing happened. As far as she knew, the computer didn't accept voice commands. She had see her mother touch the screen to access information. With that in mind, she reached forward and touched the panel.

The computer announced, "Anwen Williams. Access granted."

She stared at it, trying to remember if she heard the computer talk before. "Show hub map." An image appeared on the screen. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't a three dimensional Atlas. "There aren't that many Torchwood offices," she muttered.

The screen changed showing an unfamiliar icon and Torchwood Global. "Sign out, director?" The computer asked.

"Yes." Anwen withdrew her hand. When the screen went black again, she spoke into her wrist-strap. "Jack Harkness."

"Anwen?" Jack asked after a short pause. "What's wrong?"

"I think I figured out what my wrist-strap does," she stammered.

"Where are you?"

Anwen described it the best she could.


	11. Chapter 11

**Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Steven Carter set groceries on the kitchen counter. Anwen used to joke that grocery shopping and running errands in Cardiff was dangerous. Whenever someone targeted tad-cu he was at Asda or picking up Jack's dry cleaning. He was once stabbed in a toy store buying presents for his nieces and nephews.

"Problem?" John walked toward the coffeemaker.

"I was followed by two women with contemporary tech." Steven started unpacking groceries. "They kept following me knowing they'd been seen. One waved."

"Hot?"

Steven hesitated a moment. "Seriously?"

John shrugged. "Government? Corporation?"

"I don't know." Steven had an idea. He hoped it was paranoia.

"Who?" John poured coffee in a mustang mug.

"The Sisters."

"Say they were. Why?"

Steven wondered that himself. "The obvious? They're already watching Anwen."

"They could have noticed the Rift activity." John stared at the counter while he thought. "Or we've missed something."

"The intel has been shit."

"The Sisters stayed under Torchwood radar until they revealed themselves to Anwen." John sipped his coffee. "They worship the Rift. They would operate in Cardiff."

Steven wondered if it was that simple. "They could have psychics like The Refuge."

"Or Moss-Probert caught there attention. Charon doesn't show up unless a situation is bad."

What did that leave? Steven wondered. "We have Rift energy and chronons. We caught their attention."

John grabbed a chocolate bar Steven just unpacked. "Were they hot?"

"Obsessive, anti-male, homicidal."

"And?" John shrugged. He carried his mug over to the table. "You need to get laid."

Steven shook his head slightly and hoped John wasn't serious. It was hard to tell at times. Particularly when he offered advice that was too personal. With all the stress, it had been too long. Once they had a handle on the situation, Steven needed to find someone. Who didn't ask too many questions. He didn't look forward to that. What was the point of a relationship built on lies?

"The Mirage sounds interesting. Local club."

"You've been looking up clubs?"

"Yeah." John sounded amused. "We've been here long enough you're looking good."

Steven closed his eyes. He needed time to unwind soon.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

At some point, Jack Harkness knew he needed to sit down with Anwen and explain how wrist-straps worked. If he had any doubts about why it couldn't be removed, finding out she could access the hub resolved them. He would have taken it and placed it in a containment unit for storage. Even she thought it was too dangerous for a kid to have.

"I get a different layout than Ianto showed me." Anwen handed him a tablet.

Jack accepted the tablet and it immediately signed Anwen out. Unless John was behind it somehow, there had to be a valid reason for the security procedures. Or the changes were made by an unstable control freak. Jack handled the computer back.

"Access it again."

Anwen quickly signed back in and found the alternative facility map again. She held it up, gripping the tablet too tightly. "Doesn't this make me a target?"

"Only if you tell someone," Jack said, distracted by trying to memorize the map. Instruct Anwen to move the image so he could see more than would fit on the screen added to the frustration. "Select the room with the Global icon."

Anwen turned the tablet and tapped the screen. "It must not be like Ianto's map."

"I need to check the room."

Finding it was simple enough. Even without Anwen's map, he would have questioned the reinforced door. A wrist-strap scan showed it was shielded. Previously, he could open every door and access every system. With what he knew and suspected of the changes, that had been transferred to Anwen. Even if a future version of her made the changes, that didn't make sense. Why would the head of Torchwood give that type of authority to a nine year old? Even factoring in the ego and arrogance needed for the job, she had to know how dangerous that was. He was missing something.

"Can you open the door?" Jack asked.

Anwen flipped open her wrist-strap, and reached for the door handle. The lock disengaged with a click. She then tugged the door. Jack grabbed it, pulling it back far enough to move in front of it and prop it open. Then he scanned the room.

"What is it?" Anwen asked, flipping her strap closed.

An impressive mainframe computer. He couldn't access it, but the system hardware was incredible. From Anwen's description of the icon, he wondered if it was a copy of a future Torchwood database. That could be incredibly useful, if they could access it.

"A future computer." Jack closed the door.

"What's going on?" Anwen crossed her arms. The stress was getting to her even if she wasn't admitting it. "This isn't a stupid movie for kids."

"You weren't expected to access the system." It was the best explanation Jack had and it didn't work.

* * *

Using his new office, Ianto Jones checked the computer presets. The so-called upgrades disrupted the entire system. Part of the changes worked; part of them didn't. It appeared random, increasing Ianto's suspicion. Best case scenario, it forced him to review everything manually. Twenty minutes into the tedious project, he was glad he took the time. Two problems stood out.

The government altered it's software recently without notifying them. He had to reestablish the hub's access. Then check PD. It looked good. Suspecting it would be next, he set-up notifications if they lost access to any of the databases.

That left John. Ianto had no idea why anyone would give John remote access to the hub. Ianto clearly remembered John pointing a gun at his head and taunting him. After Miracle Day, it wasn't a worry anymore, but he remembered the fear of dying. And the desperate drive to get to the others in time. Gray or no Gray, John brought nothing but death and destruction. Cutting off his access took effort, and creativity, but it would keep him out of the system.

Then the computer chimed. Ianto tapped the notification icon. "Feed me, Seymour." He groaned. Someone gave the computer a disturbed sense of humor. A quick scan of the garden showed the carnivorous plants were hungry. And Audry shorted out the energy barrier again.

Ianto eyed the work bench as he walked passed it. Maybe the new agent, whoever he or she was, would know how to prevent the plant from disabling the garden security system. Or could at least help him feed John to it, Ianto thought as he walked into the hall.


	12. Chapter 12

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

A recurring theme bothered Gwen Cooper as she sifted Moss-Probert possibilities. The fake criminal connections were little known offenders and difficult to research. She needed to access more than one law enforcement database to get enough details to rule out a suspect. It might mean the people she was actually looking for were hidden because their known criminal activities were minimal and wouldn't be identified through law enforcement. If that were true, the people interfering with her investigation had knowledge of police procedure.

Reassessing the suspects required solid criteria. Gwen needed to know what she was looking for first. She sat back staring at her screen. The employee backgrounds led nowhere. Not even additional Moss-Probert facilities. The only family member flagged was a Middle Eastern grandmother and her supposed terrorist connections were fabricated.

Except the information came from law enforcement. That was a place to start. Assume the official background checks were fake. Gwen reached for her keyboard. Finding the employee list was simple enough. Then it occurred to her that even that came from law enforcement. Along with victim identification. She needed alternative information sources. If the information received was inaccurate, it would confirm her suspicious.

Tax records sounded like a good starting place. Gwen attempted to access files, intending to use Moss-Probert as search criteria. Employing people without the proper paperwork raised suspicions. If the company ran unethical or illegal human research trials, they definitely wanted to avoid extra questions. An error message said the system was down. While that was possible, she found it suspicious. Then a new notification announced the system was no longer connected to the government network.

Got you, Gwen thought, reaching for an ear piece. She placed it quickly and tapped it. "Jack, I found something."

After listening to the conversation over the ear coms, Ianto Jones had an idea. A paranoid one. But it fit with what they knew. He entered Jack's office from the back. He stood by the windows lost on thought. Ianto crossed the room wondering the best way to say what he had in mind.

"I have a theory."

Jack kept his eyes on the main floor and reached for Ianto's hand.

"The hub remodel and Anwen's wrist-strap gives you indirect control of the Torchwood network. London can't blame Anwen, she's nine. If your future self did it, you would have control." Ianto twined their fingers together. "The wrist-strap is permanently attached and DNA encoded." Pause. "After what happened in the building, it would be difficult to abduct or control her."

"A power play. It guarantees Anwen regains control of Torchwood."

Ianto smiled. "It's what you would do."

"Say you're right. How is John involved?" Jack shook his head slightly. "When we were partners with the Time Agency, we were assigned to work together because I could control him." Pause. "Sending him on a long-term mission by himself is disaster."

"She sent someone with him?"

Jack nodded. "There was a man at the pub. When I met with John. He looked familiar. When I spoke to him, he tried to cover knowing me by acting dumb."

"If he's from the future, you knew him when he was younger. You said John came from 2049. He would be thirty years older."

Jack smiled. "No. He looked about forty. He would be forty-six in 2049. He's sixteen right now."

Sixteen. It took Ianto a moment. "Steven?" That wouldn't be a pleasant situation with Alyce.

"If I'm right, there is another person with them. Or she found a different way to control John."

A different thought came to mind. "If Anwen, or whoever, change the past, wouldn't that essentially be committing suicide?"

Jack motioned sorta with his hand. "There is a theory that parallel universes are created by every major decision. If there were two options, then the choice created two universes. In one universe John went back in time and destroyed the time line. In the other universe he didn't."

"The woman who sent John back in time committed suicide."

"Or she was already dead."

"Say the goal is to change the past to save the future." Time travel gave Ianto a headache. "Why didn't they tell us what we needed to change?"

Jack shrugged.

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Eye candy, John Hart thought and growled in frustration. Ianto was a pain in the arse. John had files to update and couldn't access them. It was possible his notifications had been shut off. He had no choice but to access Global on-site, and rig a workaround. Using Global to override the hub would cause problems.

"Problem?" Steven asked from the kitchen.

"The urge to throttle Ianto."

Steven laughed. "Tad-cu blocked your access?"

John set the tablet down harder than he intended. "I was very specific about concealing our remote access." He shook his head. "Only an idiot would underestimate Ianto's control over the hub."

"Wait until they leave for the day," Steven said. "You can check the upgrades."

"That means you have to run the diagnostics on the building."

Steven shrugged. "It's something to do."

John stood and stretched. "Do we need anything?"

"A better looking roommate."

"You need to more open-minded." John laughed.

Steven threw a towel at him.

John caught it. "That bar you were looking at has ladies' night on Wednesdays. Find one."

Steven looked ready to argue.

"The first thing you grabbed to throw was a knife."

"Yeah," Steven said apologetically, looking down at the counter.

The stress was getting to them. They needed downtime away from each other and stress relief. It was an impossible situation to adapt to. And as much as they discussed blending into the world after securing the hub, it wasn't going to happen. Sooner or later, they would both self-destruct. For different reasons. John wanted to believe he could keep his promises. He doubted even Anwen believed that. It was a matter of time before he reverted. Steven's only chance was to approach Jack and find a way to reconnect with Torchwood. Jack and Ianto would accept him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol; Cardiff, Wales**

The stylish hotel was set back from the road concealing it's car park and lawns from people passing by. Jack Harkness parked Ianto's car in the back. Years earlier, he spent a memorable weekend in the hotel with an open-minded group. While it catered to people wanting privacy, it was an odd meeting place.

Cory opened the door looking extremely nervous or scared. It definitely wasn't about sex. Jack followed him down the hall to a staircase and up two floors. Opening the door took two tries; his hands shook inserting the pass key. Jack reached forward and opened the door. Cory almost fell from the unexpected movement.

"Explain," Jack said as they entered. Then closed the door behind him.

"A businessman wanted to arrange a quick event." Cory walked over to the mini bar. "For an information. He said he wanted to network. There was a problem with a business competitor and he needed information quickly." Cory opened a small bottle. "When he found out I knew you…" Then drank it.

Jack crossed the room slowly. "What were you asked to do?"

"Make a video. If I got it, then I would get money. I was instructed to hide the camera and…" Cory reached for another bottle.

Jack took it away from him. "What did he threaten to do?"

"He said he had one of Jonah's grandkids."

That explained Cory's nerves. Under most circumstances, he would have kept his cool. But he loved Jonah. They were together for two years when he died. "Who's the businessman?" Jack wondered how anyone knew about Jonah. It wasn't a secret at the time, but they didn't broadcast. Several years had passed since he died.

"Percy Heitt." Cory leaned on the mini bar. "He's British and based in Russia."

Jack set a hand lightly on Cory's back. "What kind of proof did he give?"

"Pictures." Cory fumbled his phone handing it over.

"When do you need to deliver the video?" Jack flipped through the pictures. It looked like homemade bondage porn. Something someone unfamiliar with bondage might not realize.

"Tomorrow morning."

"I need his name and any information on where he might be, if he's safe."

Cory closed his eyes and lowered his head. "The video wouldn't disrupt your life. Your reputation… It wouldn't…"

It would upset Ianto. Jack had no idea why anyone would go through the effort to disrupt their relationship. But extorting a blackmail tape was extreme. Even if the photographs were fake and the young man was safe. A good detective could prove intent. The goal might even be discrediting Cory. If it got out he created a sex tape and released it, his reputation would be ruined.

"If I thought making the video would help, I would." Jack lightly kissed the top of Cory's head. "I need to make calls."

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

Gwen Cooper entered the hub. Jack's explanation hadn't made a lot of sense. He wouldn't lie about a possible hostage situation, but he hadn't told her everything. The fact that he insisted she return to the hub instead of Ianto added to her suspicion.

"I'm here," she said, using an ear com.

"I sent you a picture for Internet facial and photo recognition. Ideally, it's homemade porn."

Porn? That really made Gwen wonder as she walked over to a workstation. "The alternative?"

"Proof of hostage."

Gwen sat and reached for the keyboard. "I need to know what's going on."

Jack quickly summarized the situation with Cory. "I already called Owen. He's searching for the man. Tosh is trying to trace the sender."

Gwen booted the computer. "You're hoping the pictures are available online." That would quickly invalidate the proof. "What if this is a hostage situation?"

"Then we have until morning to find him."

"Sleazy revenge? Is Cory involved with the man missing?" Gwen started typing.

"His grandfather. The man died several years ago."

"Ugh." Gwen did not need that image. "Could the possible hostage be involved?"

"I doubt it."

"I'm bringing up the images now." Gwen grimaced. "Bondage porn?"

Jack tried for humor. "It could be worse."

"Yeah. Then you would be doing the online comparison searches." She transferred the first one to recognition software. Unlike civilian software, it performed significant analysis and took a couple minutes to process. "Entered." A rotating circle showed the process was running.

Halfway down the hall to the front, John Hart heard typing. He stopped and listened. The conversation was puzzling. It sounded like Gwen was discussing online porn with Jack. John quietly turned and walked back down the hall. The last thing he needed was a confrontation. After what happened the first time he was in Cardiff, and the last, she wasn't going to forgive him and he couldn't blame her.

John returned to the office hoping Gwen had no reason to use it. The extra desk and work bench offered a place to work. He used it earlier to fix the garden ballistic shields securing the carnivorous plants. If his Anwen could see him completing Ianto's to-do list, she'd laugh.

John touched the ring through his shirt and closed his eyes. He could still remember the sound of her laugher. Tears welled in his eyes. "I miss you," he whispered. And wiped the tears from his eyes. Get it together, he told himself, moving over to the extra desk.

The tablet clicked on as John sat. He reached for it, suspected it recognized his wrist-strap. A notification flashed on the screen. That was new. He tapped it. The hub had been cut off from multiple databases. It looked like Ianto anticipated the problem.

Using his wrist-strap, John remote accessed the hub computer, and started running a diagnostic. He doubted it was a problem with the hub. It wasn't. He then checked Ianto's notes for the new notifications. He found a problem with the government system and anticipated more. John doubted it was an accident. Ianto's reaction said he questioned it also.

One incident was potentially an accident. Unlikely, but possible. Twice made it suspicious. From the notification log, it happened repeatedly. Someone with administrative control to the various databases didn't want Torchwood having access.

How do I fix it? John asked himself. Jack had to have something to force compliance. John used the tablet to find Ianto's inventory. It took a few minutes, but they had several options. One stood out. It wouldn't fix the problem, but it would reveal the cause. That would take all night.

"Steven Carter."

"No problem with the diagnostic."

"I'm not checking," John said. "Gwen is here. I need to fix a database access problem. The hub is being blocked intentionally."

Steven groaned. "Including PD?"

"Yeah."

"Call me paranoid," Steven said. "But Jack is out. Gwen is out. Leaving tad-cu in the building with Rhys and Anwen." He didn't need to say it. "Even Torchwood London thinks tad-cu is a joke right now."

"Where are you?"

"At the flat. Preparing to go to that bar." From his tone, Steven already knew his plans had changed.

"Take an extra nanogene vial."

"Yeah. Prep the nanogene station. It's too soon to use it again." Steven quickly added, "The ability grew over time. By the time you met her, she was a demi-god. This Anwen has got a long way to go."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Ianto Jones knew it was going to be a long night. Whatever Cory wanted, it wasn't what Ianto originally thought. He wished he knew why Gwen was called to the hub. He could have done the research from Jack's flat. Unless he anticipated the hub losing access again. Why are you keeping a Torchwood investigation secret? Ianto wondered, frustrated.

His mobile rang. He set his coffee mug back on the kitchen counter and answered it. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Ianto hadn't intended to sound angry.

"Rhys and Anwen are coming upstairs," Jack said. "Do you still have maintenance bots in the building?"

"Yeah." Ianto found they could repair furnishings and clean.

"The situation with Cory appears to be a fake extortion attempt. I will give you the details later. I need to stay here in case it's not fake. Gwen is coordinating with Owen and Tosh."

That did not sound good. "We're keeping it in house?"

"Yeah," Jack hesitated as if trying to decide how much to say. "With the hub access malfunctioning, you might not get police notifications."

Ianto nodded. He needed to focus on the immediate problem. "Another attempt on Anwen?" A thought occurred to him. "Why is someone trying to abduct her? They know about the wrist-strap but not the ability?"

"Doubtful. Either they want leverage. Or to disrupt the office." Jack's tone changed, really making Ianto wonder what he wasn't being told.

The door opened and Rhys entered followed by Anwen. "They're here." Ianto wondered if Gwen gave Rhys the details.

"I will be home as soon as I can."

* * *

 **Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol**

Jack Harkness sat on the edge of the bed. Cory had his knees pulled to his chest and his head down. It didn't take much to see he still loved Jonah. When he died, he left Cory enough money to start his business and maintain his lifestyle. More consideration than some gave their spouses nevertheless a much younger lover.

"All the pictures are available online." Jack lightly set a hand on Cory's knee. "Tosh suspects they were altered to pass facial recognition."

Cory nodded. "He's safe?"

"According to social media, he's in Switzerland. We're checking." An unofficial investigation required using the Internet and informal contacts. A friend of Owen's worked for Rega mountain rescue and agreed to do a welfare check.

"Jonah's father has a chalet in the Alps. We spent time there."

Jack knew Cory was in no shape to answer questions. But they needed information. And Jack had no idea where to get it quickly. "I need your help." He squeezed Cory's knee gently. "What does Heitt want?"

Cory shook his head. "I don't know. When we talked about the event, it sounded like he wanted discreet business discussions. Immediately. And offered a lot of money." He sighed. "He sounded desperate."

"When did he call?"

"A week ago."

"After the building explosion in Cardiff?"

Cory looked up, meeting Jack's eyes. "How would that lead to this?"

"We're having problems tracking the company. Could Heitt want information about Torchwood?"

"Possibly." Cory hadn't considered it. "This would have to be a set-up to observe your response. It could explain the extortion. Predicting my reaction would be simple if those involved had the right information."

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap. He scanned the room earlier, but he was looking for advanced technology. Not contemporary surveillance equipment. It required checking for different anomalies. The cameras were part of the design and wired into the building.

"Why did you chose this location?"

"A few years ago there was a scandal here. An American politician and prostitutes. It took a lot to keep it out of the media." Cory shrugged. "For appearances, it's a good place to make a sex tape."

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats**

Annoyed by the change of plans, Steven Carter reluctantly headed back to the building. When he joined Torchwood, he wanted to make a difference. His mother's parents met working for Torchwood. He had no idea what he was getting into. At this point, nothing should surprise him. Repeated attempts to abduct a nine-year-old was surprising. Even after everything. If it happened in the original time line, Anwen should have mentioned it.

Then Stephen saw movement. He stopped, watched and waited. The building was under observation. After a few minutes, he realized the person was a small woman. While it was possible she was part of an abduction attempt or surveillance, he wondered if she was one of the Sisters.

Footsteps in the other direction caught his attention. Stephen turned, unsure what to expect. Another woman approached. The way she moved suggested she made noise on purpose. She wore an amused expression that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We're on the same side of this," she said quietly.

"Of what?"

"A possible abduction attempt." She didn't think it was likely. "Two military-looking guys are watching the building. They have some type of technology, but it's doubtful they can breach security."

If he could believer her, Stephen thought, the men were watching for someone to arrive. If they set off the alarm, it would be reasonable to assume anyone in the area would come running. That suggested they were interested in viewing the response

"I'm Eilene by the way." She could just as easily be involved. Underestimating an attractive woman had gotten more than one person killed, Torchwood agents including.

"Steven." Pause. "How did you know about this?"

Eilene shrugged. "I hear things."

"Did you hear who's behind it?"

"Moss-Probert. We've heard rumors for years. After the research facility was destroyed, Percy Heitt, the boss, fled to Russia." Eilene smiled. "Captain Harkness has that effect."

That didn't explain the current situation. "What does he want with the building?"

"We're not sure. He might want leverage." Pause. "The company is searching for the survivors from the facility."

Good luck, Steven thought. If anyone looking found Charon or the Refuge it wouldn't end well.


	15. Chapter 15

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper checked CCTV footage. Tracking Cory from the hotel to the M4 didn't take much effort. Comparing cars trying to find someone that might have been following him took more effort. While she couldn't guarantee it, it made sense. Whether the hostage situation was legit or not, the people behind it went to the effort to set it up. They would want to monitor the results.

More then an hour later, she had two cars. They followed Cory from London and then took turns tailing him through Cardiff. Both parked within blocks of the hotel. The drivers, both men, were sitting in a pub. Without a direct view, they either bugged Cory's car or the room.

Running the number plates took longer then it should have. The hub lost it's connection to the police database. She pulled up the notification logs. It was a recurring problem. What caught her attention was the repair logs. Someone had corrected the problem more than once. She pulled up entry and exit logs. Some of the repairs happened after Jack and Ianto left. The hub listed the changes but not who made them.

"Jack," Gwen said over the ear com.

"What's wrong?"

She quickly explained what she found.

"Check Ianto's office."

Gwen's hands flew over the keyboard. "It's has been renamed 'eye candy.'"

Jack replied, "John's in the hub."

That scared her more than she wanted to admit. It reminded her of his previous visits to Cardiff years earlier. He left her for dead. "He's fixing the computer?"

"For now." Jack added, "When I spoke to John, he was sober."

That wasn't reassuring. "Why would he come to the hub?" Gwen took a deep breath. The anxiety clouded her judgment. He had to have been there when she arrived. He couldn't have entered or left without her seeing him. If he wanted to harm her, he would have tried already.

"Check Ianto's notes. If John renamed Ianto's office, he probably did something."

It didn't take long to find. "Ianto cut off his remote access." Gwen noticed she wasn't the only one who accessed the files. "He went through the repair list Ianto created." The garden was the easiest to check. "And fixed the energy shield around the carnivorous plants." Pause. "Why?"

"He probably came to fix his access and checked the upgrades."

Gwen nodded. She needed to focus on the immediate problem. John could wait. "Cory was followed from London." While she wasn't confident about information from the police databases, she had basic driver information from the number plates. "The cars belong to a private security company."

"See if they have connections to Moss-Probert."

"Yeah." An insane idea came to mind as Gwen tried to think of the best approach.

* * *

John Hart reached for the tablet after it chimed. He assumed it was another notification. Instead he found a message from Gwen addressed to "eye candy." With instructions. He stared at it a moment before laughing. She had the same attitude as Anwen. Your wish is my command, he replied wishing her could see her reaction.

Amused, John quickly found her list. Then checked the notes that went with it. She wanted Moss-Probert connections. And someone interfered. He took a couple minutes to understand her reasoning. You're thinking like a constable not a criminal, he concluded. Fake backgrounds had tells. Anyone creating them took that into consideration. Law enforcement experience would catch obvious ones like unrealistic crime progression.

John quickly moved through the lists. The deceased Moss-Probert employees were clean or their backgrounds had been sanitized. Possible criminal connections was more interesting. Undercover police officers were usually the hardest to spot. He found three. Several more had implausible prison records. Two were definitely informants. A few more might be government specialists or spies based in London. Someone wasn't throwing petty criminals at her.

"Computer, activate intercom." It clicked. "Gwen, how did you create this list of possible associates?"

Gwen hesitated a moment. "Direct and indirect connections to the facility over the last several years. Any supply or service company employees with criminal records. Any possible criminal connections. Parking tickets near the facility." Pause. "Moss-Probert has no public company listings. I tried to search tax records and was disconnected from the system."

"MP is under investigation by multiple branches of law enforcement or someone set you up to anger everyone from Scotland Yard to Interpol." John explained what he found.

Gwen groaned. "Someone reprogrammed the local databases to interfere with Torchwood."

"Do you know what company handles on-site repairs for government computers?"

"I will find out."

"By tomorrow morning, the computer problem will be fixed. Or I will need to access the databases directly." John hoped the situation wasn't that bad.

* * *

 **Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol**

Jack Harkness sat with his back to the bed frame, fully clothed, with his coat hanging on the bedpost. Cory slept with his face against Jack's leg. He used his mobile to keep in touch and do basic online searches. They still didn't know what they were dealing with.

It rang. "Find something?"

"Yeah. My friend with Rega called back. No hostage. A group of drunk young people with too much money." Owen paused, listening to Tosh in the background. "Tosh traced the instruction messages Cory received to a security company."

Jack explained what Gwen found.

"Tosh sent it to the hub now," Owen said. "We're going home."

"Have a good night."

"Good night," Tosh said. And the call ended.

"Good news?" Cory shifted.

"Yeah." Jack swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

Cory sat up. "We can leave?"

"The hotel. You need to stay in Cardiff, with Torchwood, until this is resolved."

Cory doesn't like that idea. "I can arrange for personal security."

"It may not be over yet." Jack couldn't help but wonder if Cory was unintentionally involved. He had impressive friends in London, including the fake hostage's great grandfather. The person who planned it didn't care, had permission or a combination of those. That suggested there was a lot more to it.

"Ianto won't like that."

Jack didn't look for the inevitable conversation.


	16. Chapter 16

**Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Steven Carter watched the men receive a mobile call and retreat. While that looked good on the surface, the duo hadn't accomplished anything. That benefited them. They attracted both Torchwood and The Sisters. But there was no indication they knew that. It was possible they learned the extortion attempt failed. He knew he was missing something.

Steven flipped open his wrist-strap. "John Hart."

"News?" he sounded distracted.

"The men are retreating."

"Any indication of a back-up plan?" John asked.

That was one of the things that bothered Steven. "No."

"Gwen is researching Moss-Probert. There could be a connection to the situation she was discussing with Jack."

"What if this wasn't about Anwen?" Steven asked. She wasn't the only one in the building. "What if they anticipated a different response? Jack sent Gwen to the hub. Wouldn't he normally ask tad-cu and leave Gwen with her family for the night?"

"They might have expected Ianto to return to handle the computer disruption." John sounded uncertain. "If they want leverage and don't know about Anwen's wrist-strap, the goal might have been grabbing whoever they could. Even Rhys. Getting information on us and response times would be a bonus."

"I don't think they were prepared to breach security." Although Steven checked himself, the information came initially from Eilene. She distracted him which made anything she told him suspect.

"There's a possibility we haven't considered."

An idea occurred to Steven as he listened. "Maybe they don't know anything about Torchwood. They're operating on rumors and assumptions." He didn't want to think what would happen if someone abducted tad-cu. Not that it was likely.

"If that's true, someone has been protecting MP."

"Access the police database and look for unusual homicides days before and after the facility was destroyed." That was another possibility they overlooked.

"Charon isn't subtle."

Steven agreed. "His priority is rescues. They could have sent someone else."

"Stay there. We don't know this is over yet."

It's not, Steven thought. Corporations involved in unethical research were determined. He'd seen the levels of insanity and depravity he could only describe as evil. Stupid didn't lessen the threat. It could make them more unpredictable.

* * *

Ianto Jones stood in the kitchen eying his mobile. Frustrated with the secrets, he'd cleaned. It gave him something to do. With nothing left to scrub, and too much caffeine, he was jittery. If he couldn't focus soon, he'd start on the bathroom next.

"Do you know what happened?" Rhys asked quietly as he left the main room.

"No." It had something to with Cory's call. Which was the primary source of Ianto's anger. "Jack met with an informant. Some type of emergency."

"I thought they were together." Rhys sounded angry about that.

"No." They were both hopeless, Ianto concluded.

The computer chimed in the office. Ianto set his mug down and walked around Rhys. Ianto hoped it was work. He needed something to do before he started imagining scenarios that increased the jealousy. Even if Jack was with Cory, it was simply sex. A concept Ianto never managed to accept. But he agreed to it.

The final argument before the compromise came to mind as Ianto walked through the main room. And passed Anwen sleeping on the sofa. He demanded a commitment, and used words that were both ignorant and hurtful. Jack's counterargument involved his birth culture, and was no less angry or offensive. They finally agreed that there was no way either of them could adapt to the other's ideal relationship. If they wanted to be together, they had to find a way to make incompatible needs work.

Ianto remembered looking up wedding information. At rare times when he still thought about it, he could picture it. He hoped Jack would agree some day. Although Ianto suspected, as he walked around the desk, that would probably be a hundred years or more down the road. Immortality and commitment issues, Ianto shook his head. Life with Jack was never boring.

The computer chimed again. One of the new tablets flashed an email icon. Unless it was an unrelated case, it wasn't work. Jack and Gwen would have texted or called. He tapped the icon. Instead of a text message, it was a video. Homemade video. The angle was weird.

Jack, Ianto thought a moment before realizing what he was looking at. The nausea hit, sending Ianto rushing to the bathroom. He lost supper and his balance. He held onto the sink to keep from falling.

"Uncle Ianto?" Anwen asked, sounding worried, as she hurried into the office.

"The video is dangerous," Ianto warned. It was the only thing he could think of that might keep Anwen from viewing it. She was too young to recognize the sounds.

No matter how many times Ianto told himself that his reaction was the purpose of sending him the video, he couldn't help it. He leaned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He couldn't get the image out of his head. Knowing Jack had sex with other people and seeing it were two very different things.

Rhys stepped into the doorway holding the tablet upside-down. He'd obviously seen it, and turned it off. "Gwen said there might be an attack tonight," his tone had changed from earlier. "That's what this is."

Ianto nodded.

"Someone wants to disrupt the office."

Ianto disagreed. "My relationship with Jack." Compromise or no compromise, it was going to take time to get that video out of his head.

Rhys gave it a moment. "If it was Gwen, I wouldn't puke. I'd break things. Most people would." Pause. "How would Gwen react if it was me?"

"She'd shoot you." That was the expected response, Ianto knew. He suspected based on mistakes Rhys didn't know about that Gwen would handle it differently. She might even forgive him. Which supported the point Rhys was trying to make. Unless the person who sent the video knew them, they would assume typical reactions.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Thursday, August 4, 2021**

Gwen Cooper stood on another side of the bed as Rhys dressed. When she came back last night, she expected anger. Possibly jealousy. He commented before she returned to the hub that she was spending too much time alone with Jack. She understood how her friendship and work relationship with him could be misunderstood. They had seen and done things that no one else would understand. It was the nature of Torchwood.

"What is it?"

"I think we have problems." It was a statement rather than an accusation. "You didn't see Ianto after he saw that video." Rhys shook his head. "I don't know how he deals with it."

"They talked it out." Gwen knew it was a lot more complicated. To make it work, Ianto ignored the obvious and Jack kept secrets.

"Anwen knows something happened. Ianto told her the video was dangerous. I don't think she looked at it." Rhys exhaled sharply. "I don't know what to tell her."

"I will talk to her." Gwen had no idea what to say, but the affect on Ianto was still obvious. Anwen would notice. She was perceptive enough to recognize adult relationship problems. Sex tapes and polyamorous relationships were not covered in books on how to explain sex to your kid. Consent at least was covered. That might come up. There was no way Jack agreed to that video.

"I'm sorry…" Rhys trailed off.

For being a jealous idiot, Gwen thought. "How's Cadoc?"

"Not good. He's blaming himself for the divorce."

That was another conversation Gwen expected to have with Anwen soon. How did one explain Gold-diggers to a nine-year-old? With Jack, it came down to being raised in a different culture. Ianto accepted their differences as best he could. A woman using men for money was something she didn't understand.

* * *

Jack Harkness waited outside the back door. With everything happening, they needed one team not two. Steven walked around the garage with an expression similar to the night they met at the pub. He had no idea what to say. After everything Jack had seen working with the Time Agency, traveling with the Doctor, and working for Torchwood, meeting the future version of his grandson was not that shocking.

"John said you recognized me."

Finding out Steven worked with John was going to take longer to process. "The teenage version of you spent a week with me and Ianto last December." The similarity was impossible to miss.

"Mom's appendix surgery." Steven smiled. "She blamed tad-cu for being transferred to Torchwood London. I never told her it was me."

"Tad-cu? Welsh?"

"For grandfather. I asked him once. To piss off mum." Pause. "Anything involving you set her off."

Jack could picture that. Alyce would hate it. "Is that why you joined Torchwood?"

"No."

For another time, Jack thought. "Are you coping?"

Steven shrugged. "I don't know if you've ever lived with John, but I want to kill him."

Jack laughed, hoping the humor helped. "He has that effect."

"I need time to adjust."

"It helps to have someone to talk to." Jack could see what had John concerned. Steven was burning out. The destruction of his time line was enormous. But coming back into his own lifetime with a mission to save the world had to be overwhelming.

"Right now I need some time."

Jack understood. Arriving in Victorian times near drove him over the edge. "Stay in touch."

Steven nodded and walked away. Jack watched him go and wondered if he should have said or done something differently. People coped differently. He was self-destructive in the early years. He hoped Steven handled it better. Without a better option, Jack knew he needed to ask John for updates. Trusting him made Jack uneasy. Too much had happened.

* * *

John Hart checked the security system he installed in the small basement storage room. The unexpected video last night forced him to reconsider what they were dealing with. It could be interpreted that the person responsible expected a different response. The video's original blackmail target could have been someone other than Jack. There were a lot of unlikely possibilities that could explain it.

The door opened as he finished the final diagnostic. Anwen stepped into the doorway armed. This time she was upset, gripping her unneeded weapons too tightly. She looked stressed rather than scared. Last night had that unfortunate effect on all of them.

"No one will tell me what happened."

John logged out of the system. "They don't know how to explain."

"Yeah."

John stood. "Some topics are difficult to talk about." Particularly with kids. "Someone hurt Ianto intentionally." When Jack found them they would see a side of him few on Earth knew existed.

"The video." Anwen hesitated. "What was it?"

"That's a question to ask your mother."

Anwen groaned. "She's probably looking for a book on how to explain it to her kid." Pause. "You're like Uncle Jack. You see things differently."

It was a conversation John didn't want to have. For numerous reasons. "Did you see it?"

"No. I guessed. Some older boys had porn at school."

John closed his eyes. While it was true that his and Jack's culture was significantly less repressed than the current one, there were still topics that weren't easy to discuss. John had no idea what to say. If the woman he knew was any indication, the child wouldn't accept a deflection.

"It wasn't just porn. Uncle Ianto got sick."

She already knows, John realized. He turned and looked at her. Wishing there was a way to pass the conversation on to Gwen. "What do you think it was?"

"Uncle Jack. Nothing else would upset Ianto that much."

John hesitated, trying to think of the best way to say it. "Someone use a video camera without Jack's permission. Years ago."

"It's a mind game? To make Ianto think Jack's unfaithful. And try to break them up."

"It won't work." John wondered if she wanted reassurance. If Anwen already knew what the video was an why, she didn't need to ask questions.

Anwen nodded. "Why do people care? If people stopped trying to own each other, they're argue less."

"This isn't about the video."

"Dad's friend is getting a divorce. It's making dad act stupid."

That was why she approached him. "He's afraid of losing your mum."

"To Uncle Jack." Anwen found that idea crazy. "They both have to be in charge. It couldn't work."

John couldn't help it. He laughed.

"Am I wrong?"

"No."

"Why can't dad see it?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Contradictions**

 **Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Saturday, August 6, 2021**

His wrist-strap chimed with a hub notification.

Jack Harkness woke slowly. Sleep deprivation did that. He reached for Ianto and found the other side of the bed empty. As his thoughts surfaced, he remembered. He still didn't know why. The simplest answer for what happened was an attempt to disrupt Torchwood. Jack hoped it was nothing more than that.

His wrist-strap chimed again; he flipped it open. The brief message reported a 999 call flagged by the new police presets. Human experimentation made him think about Moss-Probert. A whistle-blower could be the break they needed.

Jack climbed out of bed, and grabbed a folded pair of pyjama bottoms. He'd been too tired the night before to notice them. As he walked through the bathroom to his office, he realized his laundry wasn't the only thing Ianto cleaned in the last couple days. In all the arguments they'd had over sharing a flat, the effort of cleaning two never came up. One more thing to feel guilty about, Jack thought.

Booting the computer gave Jack time to think. The compromise wasn't working. Not as they hoped. Ianto's reaction to the video couldn't have been prevented. Jack thought if he'd been able to discuss Cory with Ianto, the situation would have had a less dramatic effect on everyone. The only positive was they now had video evaluation software on their email.

The first thing Jack noticed was the lack of follow-up. Even if the caller hadn't sounded credible, a constable should have been sent. He quickly checked the number of calls overnight. It was quiet for a Friday night. He tried to pull up the call notes. There weren't any. In fact, he couldn't find any record of the call. Another _glitch_. He checked the address from the original notification and entered it separately. A constable from across town was sent.

Jack checked the clock. 4:30. He could call Gwen and upset Rhys. Or wake Ianto. No one would be angry, but it would be awkward. They still needed to talk. Resigned, he walked back to his bedroom. His mobile charged on half the dual docking station. He grabbed it and tapped autodial.

When Ianto answered, he sounded barely awake. "What time is it?"

"Before five."

Ianto groaned. "What happened?"

"999 call notification. Questionable PD follow-up."

"I need ten minutes."

* * *

Ianto Jones dressed quickly. While early morning wake ups happened, it was unexpected after everything. It wasn't his fault, he told himself, reaching for his pants. They agreed he would not see that part of Jack's life. It would take time to get the image out of his head. The immediate problem was Cory. Ianto didn't want him in the building. While he understood the security concerns, he didn't understand why Cory couldn't be transferred to London.

Ianto took a deep breath and adjusted his tie again. Cory was the only long-term lover Jack had. Or at least the only one Ianto knew about. Asking not to be under the same roof or handle part of his security was not an unreasonable request.

Eight minutes, Ianto thought, grabbing his mobile and keys. Not bad. He headed for the door. And then the lift. He couldn't help but eye the door to Cory's temporary flat. Ianto had limits to what he could or should tolerate. He pressed the lift button and waited.

Jack's door opened followed by footsteps in the hall. "Morning," he said as the door slid open.

"Morning." Ianto entered and reached for the floor controls.

Jack claimed to opposite side of the lift. "Sorry to wake you."

Ianto tapped a button. "Not a problem."

"Are you all right?"

No, Ianto thought, for a growing list of reasons. "Yep."

Jack moved closer as the doors opened and set a hand on Ianto's back. "We need to talk."

What good will it do, Ianto thought, stepping into the first floor hallway. It won't change anything. He already knew the video targeted the two women because of their families. None of them knew the camera was there. They were babysitting Cory because they didn't know the details of who gave the video to Heitt. Or what any of it was expected to accomplish. The case was more important then any personal objections to the situation.

"Should I wake Gwen?" Jack asked as they headed for the car park.

"No."

Jack reached out brushing is finger tips over Ianto's hand. "We can't work together if we can't talk."

Ianto closed his eyes. Why bother? You always get your way. "I can't do this now." He knew he'd say something he regretted.

Jack reached for his mobile.

Ianto met Jack's eyes. "Don't wake Gwen." Rhys and Anwen didn't need a bad morning.

* * *

When the notification woke him, John Hart had barely slept. A night at Mirage worked better than he hoped. He'd been able to relax and meet a few people. If one really managed a spa that had potential. That was worth an early morning on almost no sleep, he told himself.

There were days he missed stims, John thought, heading for the coffee pot in the kitchen. Caffeine had a limited effect. And fewer side-effects, he reluctantly concluded. As he reached for a mug. The mustang offered a quiet reminder of why he changed.

"Did you pull the files?" Steven asked, stepping into the main room.

"Yeah." John used his wrist-strap to activate a food replicator he installed in the counter. It instantly filled his mug. "999 call." He explained what he learned from the Torchwood and police databases. "Building security show Jack and Ianto went."

"Together?" Steven stood back, waiting. "Are they even talking to each other?"

John shrugged and moved over to the table. He grabbed a tablet. They needed to do background. As much as he'd like to believe it was connected to Moss-Probert, it was probably a prank or a distraction. The database glitch and police response were questionable. He suspected that was why Jack went. But the odds that someone would suddenly call in a report, and at 4:30 in the morning, were unlikely.


	19. Chapter 19

**Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness drove. The medical facility was off of Cowbridge Road. He parked in the Aldi's car park. Nothing about the area came to mind. He flipped open his wrist-strap and scanned. The scan-blocker was subtle, but in itself was proof of future technology.

Ianto reviewed the Internet using a tablet. "There's a few online forum comments." He scrolled down. "Nothing about experiments."

"Medical complaints?"

Ianto quickly used Google to search. "Yep." He read. "Nothing stands out."

Without thinking, he set his hand on Ianto's leg while he thought. "Sanatorium Park is near here. The fake alien probe distraction."

"Jack." Ianto sounded uneasy.

When Jack turned, he realized what he'd done and withdrew his hand. "There is alien technology in the area," he said. "We need to deal with us before we walk into a potentially dangerous situation." Or he needed to go alone.

Ianto closed his eyes. "You moved your lover into our building. Down the hall." Pause. "A conversation won't fix it."

Jack caught himself before he returned his hand to Ianto's leg. The gesture was automatic. "We're friends. When Cory has information, or needs a favor, he calls."

"You don't have sex with him?" The question was an accusation.

"Three times." Jack gave it a moment. "Cory likes powerful men. He uses sex for a variety of reasons. But he doesn't have conventional relationships. He was in love with someone who died several years ago. He hasn't gotten over it."

"I thought it was ongoing."

"No." It was not the way Jack envisioned the conversation. He wanted to end the secrets. By choice not necessity. "I enjoy meeting new people and the rush and intensity. It's nothing more than that."

"Why am I not enough?"

"That's not it." Jack didn't have a simple answer. "Sex and love are different."

"For you."

* * *

 **Hughes Flats**

Gwen Cooper's mobile rang waking her. With a groan, she reached for her phone on the bedside table. What could Owen possibly want at 5 AM? "Cooper."

"Morning. I'm at the London morgue." He sounded unhappy. Early morning calls did that. "I got the call at 3." Owen hesitated. "Has Jack left Cardiff in the last few days?"

"No." Gwen sat up. "What happened?" She could only guess Jack was suspected of something.

"Tedmond Lake, Albreida Starkie and Percy Heitt are dead. Four more haven't been identified yet."

Moss-Probert employees, Gwen thought. "Cause?"

"Cerebral hemorrhage. No external injuries. The ME suspects a biological weapon, but there is nothing to support it. Or anything else. I was brought in for a second opinion."

"You think Jack did it?"

"No. I was volunteered to call and ask if he'd been here."

Gwen nodded slightly. "If Jack knew they were dead, he would have sent Cory back to London." He couldn't work things out with Ianto until Cory went home.

"Management is not happy about that situation. Someone in HR asked Tosh why Ianto didn't request a transfer. Or file a complaint."

"Why did she tell them?" In a couple weeks, Ianto would find a way to process what happened and forgive Jack.

"That HR should call Ianto and ask."

Gwen laughed. She couldn't help it. That would be an ugly conversation. The HR rep would insult Jack and Ianto would go off. No matter how mad he got at Jack, Ianto wouldn't tolerate it. They were predictable even if she didn't understand their relationship.

Rhys held up his phone as if to ask who called at that time.

"Owen. There's a situation." Gwen climbed out of bed. "Send me a copy of the scans."

* * *

 **Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol**

Ianto Jones opted to stay in the car. They couldn't realistically work together. Not yet. He should have realized it when Jack called and later when he wanted to call Gwen. Ianto had to accept he missed Jack. Despite being angry. No relationship was perfect. Gwen had to deal with Rhys' jealousy and he had to deal with her dedication to a 24/7 job. Tosh accepted Owen's disagreeable, pessimistic attitude and he accepted she could get distracted by a puzzle and forget he, or anyone else existed, for days at a time. Sex seemed different somehow.

The ear com clicked. "Anyone there?" Gwen asked.

"Good morning," Ianto replied.

"I'm heading to the hub. London has a Moss-Probert situation." She quickly summarized what she knew. "HR has questions."

Ianto wasn't amused. "Not interested."

"The morality police will get bored."

Ianto hoped so. He couldn't deal with questions about him and Jack. They loved each other. Enough to struggle with incompatible views on relationships. It was hard to explain. People tended to assume that Jack was the cause of all their problems. Or abusive. Because he wouldn't settle into a conventional relationship. That was judgmental ignorance. They were both set in their ways. And it contributed to the arguments.

Jack injected, "We need the van and PD to secure the area."

"How bad?" Gwen asked.

* * *

Jack Harkness tapped the ear com off as Gwen's question echoed through his mind. He didn't have the words. Working with Torchwood, he'd seen the miraculous and the horrifying. As a Time Agent he'd seen things that hadn't happened yet or wouldn't reach Earth. Something changed.

Jack flipped his wrist-strap open. "John Hart."

"Miss me?" John asked almost immediately.

Only your acceptance. A thought Jack didn't want to dwell on. "I found a second generation biomechanical soldier lab. In Cardiff. Similar to Aloxixon II."

"That's not surprising. Torchwood traced genetic research back to unethical studies in the 1970s."

"Get the location from the hub. I want you here." Jack wanted information. John's reaction to the technology would reveal more than anything he said.

"Keep saying things like that and I'll get the wrong idea." John's tone said he hadn't misunderstood the suspicion. He disconnected.

Jack scanned the building again. He wanted to be wrong. Except the results were the same. It was a fully functional biomech lab. Based on the technology, it was combining reproductive services with biomechanics. Women desperate for a baby were used as walking incubators. The only upside of using birth mothers was they didn't have artificial gestation capabilities. He suspected that was a matter of time. Whoever gave them the technology to establish this would provide the rest at some point.


	20. Chapter 20

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper tucked Anwen into the flat built for her family during the upgrade. She still didn't know what to think about the changes. One of the many questions she had was why she was given a personal armory instead of an office. Either the designer didn't know her actual duties or was trying to say something. With all the indications that a future version of Anwen was behind it, Gwen wondered if it somehow reflected how her daughter viewed her.

"Why were you and dad arguing?" Anwen asked quietly.

Gwen sat on the edge of the bed. "Work schedules." He thought she should stay home with Anwen unless it was safe to send her back to daycare. To much time in the hub wasn't healthy. "It was lack of sleep and nerves." And completely irrational. He never suggested Anwen go to the office with him, or that he stay home.

"Will I be able to go to school?"

"Yeah. We'll figure it out." Gwen leaned in and kissed Anwen on the forehead.

"Be careful."

Gwen wondered at times, as she left Anwen to sleep, how much her daughter understood about the arguments. Parents often didn't realize how much their children overheard. Anwen was more perceptive than others her age. Perhaps more important was why she didn't ask questions.

For another day, Gwen thought regretfully. They had a potentially urgent situation. The unfortunate need to prioritize made it worse. And the sacrifices they all made as a result. Some day she hoped Anwen would understand the long hours and chaotic life. Although if they were right about the hub changes, she would some day understand from personal experience.

The ear com clicked. Gwen tapped it. "Anwen is settled." At least they understood. She knew other working mothers that had coworkers that didn't understand.

"We need an extensive background on this property," Jack said. "Not only who owns it, but any other companies connected to it. If the previous business or businesses were similar, we have to consider the possibility it just changed names."

Gwen nodded. "Any obvious Moss-Probert connections?"

"No. This technology is more advanced than what we know of the destroyed facility."

"They shared suppliers," Ianto said. "Some of the supplies and equipment were unusual. It may be coincidence."

A few companies she found researching MP came to mind. "Send what you have."

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats**

Steven Carter scanned John's coffeemaker out of frustration. He DNA-encoded it. If Steven had any doubt he'd angered John before he left, that confirmed it. Just another reminder that his grip on reality was tenuous at best. They had conclusive proof they were lied to about what to expect when they arrived. Either the source of intel wasn't solid or they were intentionally given bad information.

Steven should have known John would take it as an insult to Anwen's memory. After his own experiences dating her, he couldn't help but wonder how she viewed John. Even after what happened in 2046. But John was convinced as always that she loved him as much as he loved her.

Unable to override the encoding, Steven unpacked the original coffee pot. He needed the caffeine. During all the discussions and preparation, he never really thought about having to start over with the corporations. The changes were suppose to prevent the problems. They didn't. They couldn't. Based on information from the biomech lab this morning alone, the situation started decades earlier. They weren't sent back to prevent the corporations from establishing biomech programs, and they didn't have the necessary resources to dismantle them.

The question as always was what they were expected to do. Time travel 101, their presence changed everything. The world they knew wouldn't exist. Influencing Jack alone would have that effect. Steven couldn't help but wonder if the entire purpose of sending them back was to upgrade the hub and building security. The puzzle threatened to overwhelm him.

Setting up the coffeemaker soothed his nerves some. It gave him something to do. Steven couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of research. With John being interrogated by Jack, Steven knew he should provide support. But he couldn't bring himself to research. Assessing another corporation conducting unethical and horrifying human trials was too much to ask.

His mobile rang. He checked the screen and didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Morning, gorgeous," Eilene said.

Speaking of psychos, Steven thought. He wasn't even going to ask how she got his mobile number. "Morning."

"I hate to ask. But I'm running low on ideas. Do you have any information on an attack at a domestic shelter overnight?"

"No. Why?"

"It's the third in six months. One woman each time. No obvious connection. Each has one or more children missing from care."

Steven could think of any number of explanations both mundane and Torchwood. None of them were good. "I can look into it." Finding missing women was more productive than chasing corporations.

* * *

 **Williams Haulage**

Rhys Williams reviewed the day's delivery schedule. Two last minute changes and an expected employee absence meant he was taking over a route. After reviewing the company instructions and locations, he realized it covered more than one shift and he wouldn't be home until late.

"Did Cedrych call?" Rhys asked Laura his secretary.

"No. I tried calling him. His mobile's disconnected.

Rhys groaned. That sounded like he quit without giving notice. "Do we have recent applications?"

"One possible." She didn't sound impressed. "The other two asked about Torchwood."

Reporters caused that, Rhys thought. The reasons varied for the articles, but the result was unfortunately the same. Publicizing his wife worked with Jack disrupted business. Making it worse, one reporter kept making snide comments about Gwen working alone all hours with two men. From the woman's comments about Ianto she'd never met him and made no effort to investigate her theories. It didn't have to be rational to piss him off.

"I need info on the possible." Rhys hated inconsiderate employees. Life happened. His wife's job showed how bad it could get. But a phone call wasn't asking much.

The desk phone rang. Rhys took a deep breath and focused on his work voice. Then reached for the phone by the third ring. "Williams' Haulage."

"Morning," Gwen said.

Rhys barely kept from sighing. He didn't need another problem. "What happened?" He didn't like the tone of his voice.

"I need information," Gwen said. "You've made deliveries to Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol."

"Not recently. They changed delivery services." After one of the articles about Gwen and Torchwood. It wasn't the only business he lost as a result.

"Please pull the file. It's similar to MP. Except this one targeted women needing fertility treatments."

Sick bastards, Rhys thought, entering the information into his computer. The first thing that stood out was the driver that handled the business' deliveries. "Cedrych Mattix didn't come to work today. His mobile's disconnected."


	21. Chapter 21

**Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol; Cardiff, Wales**

The filing system alone told Ianto Jones they were keeping more than one set of books. The facility had reportedly been inspected. He doubted it. He looked up pictures of equipment in an online catalog. They had intentionally mislabeled inventory and anyone familiar with the technology would know that. The office didn't bother faking privacy law requirements. No one expected a walk-through or an audit. Like the Moss-Probert facility, they seemed to operate completely off Torchwood radar. Which was extremely difficult to do outside of Great Britain, nevertheless in Cardiff.

Ianto looked up as Jack stopped next to the desk. He didn't look overly enthusiastic about the office or the copy machine. That wasn't a good sign. Ianto still remember the first time Jack asked him on a date. The one good point in an otherwise bad night. Juvenile copier comments were preferable to the tension.

"London sent a team."

Good, Ianto thought. "Owen?"

"Yeah. He volunteered."

"We need to focus on how this place hid from us. Then we need to apply that information to the city." Ianto had an uneasy feeling. "They chose Cardiff for a reason. A relatively small European town offering no obvious advantage for researchers."

"The Rift."

Ianto nodded. "London would be a better location. Larger, more diverse population. Better access to supplies and equipment. A large port." Pause. "If they can hide from us in Cardiff, they can hide from the main office."

"Life-forms survive by adapting to their environment. There could a genetic affect."

That might explain Anwen's ability. "Are we looking at soldiers or eugenics?"

"Both."

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats**

One thing John Hart learned about time travel was that neither problems nor solutions were linear. He suspected him and Steven had been told what they needed to hear. Anwen hadn't lied. John knew that much. But that didn't mean those that provided her with information and technology told the truth. If it was a simple matter of changing an event and placing or removing items, neither of them would have had to go back in time.

John returned to their flat and found it empty. After the argument earlier, that wasn't surprising. If an empty flat was the highlight of his day, he definitely needed a lover. Easier said than done. He touched his ring through his shirt. He'd found the love of his life. She'd been worth cleaning up, drying out and becoming a better man. They had five years. The good. The bad. He didn't want to let go. She wouldn't want him to be alone. Even if she'd lived, she wouldn't have cared if he found stress relief with another. His grief made it fell like a betrayal.

It would have to wait unfortunately. They had multiple problems. MP, a biomech lab, the video, and Steven. He should be at the flat. While quiet was preferable, it was worrisome. John didn't see a note. While he hoped Steven was simply angry, John couldn't make the assumption. Reluctantly, he knew the priority. People had committed suicide for far less than losing their entire time line.

As John didn't need stealth, he opted for the direct approach. He quickly found his mobile. Then flipped open his wrist-strap, set-up a trace and called Steven. He didn't answer. But the call went through. An exact location required more effort. The general location gave John a place to start.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

Gwen Cooper focused on Cedrych Mattix. The driver had a solid background. Rhys had no way of knowing the man's entire identity was fake. She only found it because she suspected a problem. That generated several questions including how such an impressive identity was created. Records started months before he applied for the job. He had bank accounts, credit, and a rental agreement. Some appeared backdated.

Cedrych's delivery schedule was creatively manipulated. A few of Rhys' drivers promoted and generated more business. In general, if a driver assisted in landing a new contract, the deliveries were added to the driver's schedule. The incentive for new business was more hours.

Cedrych's customers gave her a list of companies to check. They ranged from questionable to suspect. Any business that didn't connect to Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol or MP needed to be referred to Cardiff PD. She'd sent two names to Andy already.

The alarm sounded as the large door slid open. Gwen looked up as Jack and Ianto entered the hub. They looked more at ease with each other. Which meant the relationship crisis was fading. What few problems, beyond the arguments, they'd had over the years rarely lasted.

"Rhys has information for us," she announced. "The delivery driver that had Arloesedd Meddygol Creadigol didn't show up for work this morning. He used a burner and it looks like he broke the sim card. Based on where it stopped working, he threw it off a bridge."

They walked over to her.

"More than one of Rhys' clients changed companies after media connected him to me. One is indirectly connected to Moss-Probert." His approach to finding possible problems was making her life easier.

"Good," Jack said. "What do we have on the driver?"

Gwen explained what she'd discovered. "Creating the identity required access to government resources. While database access could help, it wouldn't generate the paperwork."

"The lab had fake inspection records."

"We need to be careful," Jack said. "Have you found any connection to London?"

"Not directly. Some of the medical equipment and supplies needed for a legit business require London connections." Nothing stood out yet.

"Torchwood black ops programs connect to the Institute before it was destroyed," Ianto said. "The people involved have a better idea how long you've been with Torchwood, Jack. They know better then to operate in Cardiff."

"They would know about Rhys," Gwen added.

Jack pointed out, "The companies have to have government and Torchwood connections."

"I will pull city inspection files."

An inspector in common could work the same way as Cedrych. Then they could compare notes. "We need to warn Owen." Although he tended to have a healthy level of paranoia.


	22. Chapter 22

**Draig Gymraeg Transportation; Cardiff, Wales**

By late afternoon, Jack Harkness needed a break. Listening to a city attorney claim that he didn't have probable cause to search the biomech lab tried his patience. It resulted in her announcing that PD would not support Torchwood investigations without a warrant or court order.

Jack parked near a building on Gwen and Rhys' growing list of possible problem. He pocketed his mobile and tapped his ear com. "Anyone here?"

"Yep." Ianto sounded less stressed.

That was something, Jack thought. "We have a problem." He explained the conversation with the attorney.

"She's wrong," Gwen injected. "The 999 call justified our investigation. Identifying alien technology in a building accused of human experimentation justified a closer look. Arguably an imminent threat. Finding extensive evidence of both would eliminate any probable cause arguments."

"Write it up and send it."

"The glitch that interfered with Torchwood receiving details, and the nonstandard police response, means PD and possibly the city government violated multiple laws. Involving Torchwood compliance," Gwen added.

"Post Miracle Day laws?"

"Yeah. Do we want to push it?"

That was not a decision he wanted to make while stressed and sleep deprived. "Not immediately. Send the probable cause argument. The rest needs to be researched."

Jack unfastened his seat-belt and flipped open his wrist-strap. A quick scan showed the unusual energy source that appeared on the Torchwood sensor network. He had no idea what it was even with an on-site scan. The inconsistent technology and energy adaption suggested experimentation by salvage alien tech. He'd seen the approach before the Institute was destroyed.

"Ianto." Jack reached for the door handle. "Does Draig Gymraeg have contracts in England? Or use the tunnel?" It might explain how the technology was smuggled into Cardiff without raising suspicion.

"Yep. Regular routes."

"Check them." Jack explained what he suspected about the tech.

"Should I notify London?"

"If you find anything conclusive." If Torchwood was involved whoever would quickly know they'd been discovered. If Cardiff withheld information, it would expose that their suspicions. That could get ugly.

* * *

 **Leckwith Road McDonald's**

Rhys Williams needed to eat. He parked next to the door. He removed his mobile from the docking station and checked the time. The last delivery had been a headache, and left him an hour behind schedule. Thankfully, the last two businesses had at least two shifts. Someone would be able to accept them late.

Rhys stepped from his lorry. A familiar sound caught his attention. He looked over as a car drove into the car park. He tried to look like he was going back for something he forgot and took a moment to take a picture. After opening the door and searching for something imaginary, he closed it and headed for the restaurant.

While Rhys waited in line, he sent the picture and a brief message to Gwen. With everything going on, and Cedrych's connections, it wasn't unreasonable someone followed him. Breaking into the building targeting Anwen came to mind. Or they could want information.

A woman entered while Rhys ordered. She looked military he thought as he stepped aside to wait. While she showed no obvious interest in him, she was tense. She eyed the exits and the other customers. He couldn't help but wonder if she expected something to happen.

After his order number was called, Rhys accepted his tray and headed for a table in the center of the dining room as far from the windows as he could. The woman's behavior made him paranoid. She even sat nearby and picked at her food. If she was following him, she had to realize he'd seen her.

Rhys' mobile rang. He checked the screen. "Hey."

"The driver is female," Gwen said.

"Yep."

"You've seen her?"

Rhys focused on his food hoping she wouldn't know the conversation was about her. "Oh, yeah. Hard to miss."

"She's a former Army security specialist from Birmingham."

He nodded. "That wouldn't surprise me."

"Can she hear you?"

"Yep. The client wants the schedule reviewed. The original plan won't work."

Gwen paused, trying to interpret what he meant. "She's not following you?"

"Yes and no. We don't have all the details."

"She's following you but isn't a threat?"

"Yep."

"Be careful."

* * *

 **Draig Gymraeg Transportation**

Jack Harkness found the energy source. The crystal egg had bizarre properties. He didn't know how it was producing or converting energy. He could only guess the process was at the quantum level. Quantum entanglement could generate the amount of power he was seeing. But it had specific requirements that weren't there.

After returning to the Torchwood van for a containment box, Jack repeated scans. Shutting it down required assessing the odd assortment of technology and shutting the system down without overloading any section. Either the engineer had an intuitive understanding like Tosh or was extremely lucky. It was a wonder the person didn't blow his or herself up.

Jack removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. Mapping the disconnect told him it wasn't designed to be turned off. That suggested the unusual design might have been to prevent it. Shutdown required simultaneous actions. A potentially fatal game of Twister. An energy surge fried the rest of the system.

When Jack finally had the egg in the box, he scanned the technology again. There was something wrong with the set-up. The egg was emitting energy collected by the system. Except the components necessary to safely collect and distribute the energy weren't there. There had to be technology he couldn't find.

Another thought occurred to Jack as he disassembled the rest for removal. The system generated far more energy than the facility could possibly use. Unless he hadn't found something. After extensively checking the buildings, he had nothing. The only idea he had was that it was generating energy and somehow transferring it off site. There was no indication how.

Jack tapped his ear com. "Anyone there?"

"Yep," Ianto replied.

"Check the city sensors. Power changes. Outages." Jack couldn't help but wonder if he made a serious mistake.

After a few minutes, Ianto said, "Southpoint Industrial Estate has no power."

"By the Cardiff Docks?" That was miles away on the other side of town.

"Yep."

"Compare sensor readings between here and there."

Minutes passed. "Nothing," Ianto concluded. "The buildings are not connected to the Cardiff power grid."

Jack knew he was missing something. "Review the list Gwen made of businesses connected to the medical building this morning. Check for outages and connections to the grid."

"Why?"

"I don't know."


	23. Chapter 23

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Owen Harper stepped through the large door as it opened. Something looked and even felt different. Although he had no idea what. He walked around the workstations to the back hall. There wasn't much to tell about the genetics lab that wasn't obvious. Since he was in Cardiff, he thought he should check the infirmary. The hub didn't always get new technology when it was available; Jack had to request it.

The computer clicked. "Grumpy cat is here," Anwen declared over a new intercom system.

"Owen." Gwen tried to conceal her amusement. "Where are you?"

"Main floor."

"The hub has been redesigned. If you get lost, use a control panel for the layout."

Owen looked confused. "Lost?"

"Some of the hallways were changed," Anwen added.

"Do I want to know?"

"Uncle Ianto redecorated." Anwen laughed.

Ianto said, "The route to the infirmary hasn't changed."

Good to know, Owen thought. "Anything I need to check?"

"No," Gwen said. "I will meet you in the infirmary."

When the door opened several minutes later, Owen stood in the doorway and stared. Redecorated didn't begin to cover it. The room was larger. Some of the equipment had been upgraded. The new specialty station near the door was unidentifiable. He couldn't help but wonder as he walked around. He had no idea how Jack changed the hub's physical structure. Or why. The new infirmary was nice, but unlike London, Cardiff didn't have a lot of patients. Or even a doctor.

Gwen entered. "It's a long story. With you working in London…"

"It's better I don't know."

"Yeah." She gave it a moment. "Did you find anything at the lab?"

Owen wasn't sure how to explain. "It's what we didn't find. A power source. It wasn't using local utilities."

* * *

John Hart arrived by portal device. Half carrying Steven. Crossing Roald Dahl Plass meant trying to look casual. They reached the lift without attracting too much attention, but it didn't move. John struggled to flip his wrist-strap open. He hoped Anwen was still in the hub.

"Anwen Williams."

"What's wrong?"

"The lift won't work."

"Shouldn't it recognize your wrist-strap?" Anwen asked.

John had no idea how to explain that Ianto disabled his remote-access. Without it sounding suspicious. It affected more than computer research. "It doesn't."

"Mine," Steven said weakly.

"Can you open it?"

Steven rubbed his wrist-strap against his leg to bypass the illusion and open it. John reached for it. Trying to use another person's wrist-strap while holding them up was an experience he could have done without. The lift finally descended slowly.

Another problem John hadn't considered. It had no railing. Keeping them both upright was a test of endurance. And the pain was memorable. No meds, he repeated over and over in his head. He couldn't risk it. No matter how much it hurt.

Anwen hurried across the room as the lift settled onto the floor. "Who's he?" She sounded suspicious.

"Steven." He stumbled.

John gave in and lowered Steven to the floor. "Do you know how the robotic stretchers work?"

"No." Anwen looked apologetic. "Dr. Harper is here."

"Bad idea." Steven closed his eyes.

John sat unceremoniously on the floor next to Steven and reached for his wrist-strap. He tried remotely requesting a robot. Instead, it activated a medical scan. An alarm sounded.

"Computer, activate intercom." Anwen's voice was barely audible over the alarm. "Mum, John and Steven need medical attention. I don't know how the robots work."

"Who?" Owen's voice came over the intercom.

"Crap." Steven groaned.

The alarm ceased.

"What happened?" Gwen asked.

"The short version." John didn't like how weak he sounded. "Is we got caught between the Sisters, a group trying to abduct a kid from care, and two dumb constables."

"John Hart," Owen said, his voice cold.

"Any other injuries?" Gwen asked.

"Both the constables went to the A&E. Would-be abductors to the morgue."

John heard Harper's determined footsteps leave the back hall. It was an ugly situation. Harper was supposed to be in London. John fumbled for stun pellets. He didn't want to hurt the doctor which limited his options. Anwen moved in front of him. She stood there, feet apart, arms crossed.

"Don't hurt him." John doubted Harper had any idea what she could do.

"Owen." Gwen was obviously running. "Don't threaten John."

"He tried to kill us. Tosh almost died."

The door to Jack's office slid open. John looked up as Ianto stepped onto the metal framework. He looked calm, carrying a tranquilizer gun. And walked quietly toward the railing.

Don't shoot Anwen, John thought. She will never trust you again.

* * *

Jack Harkness had a growing list of questions as he closed the garage door behind him. While a Torchwood black ops project was most likely in his mind, he couldn't figure out how they managed it. The 999 call felt like a set-up. The only potential explanation that came to mind was that someone was taking out the competition. Using one Torchwood office to take out another was risky. The person or persons would have to be able to accurately predict him behavior. Which brought him back to Torchwood.

Did you send more than one team? Jack knew the possibilities of time manipulation would fuel his paranoia and drive him crazy. There were too many scenarios to consider. Trusting John as a source of information was complicated. Without wondering if the person who sent him back trusted him.

As Jack stepped onto the left, an alarm sounded. He checked it with his wrist-strap. A surge of Rift energy. Anwen, he thought, waiting for the lift to open again. Jack squeezed through the doors as they opened and ran. The big door took even longer to roll over.

The scene was confusing. John and Steven were near the lift. Both looked injured. Gwen hovered over Anwen who was bleeding down one arm. Ianto checked on Owen who was unconscious.

"Grumpy cat needs an attitude adjustment," Anwen said, the pain evident in her voice.


	24. Chapter 24

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness settled into his chair at the head of the conference table. Too much had happened. He picked up a tablet with infirmary medscans. Four people needing treatment in one day wasn't good. Anwen was lucky Owen was a bad shot. Ianto thankfully took Owen down. With prototype retcon darts. He would sleep for a couple days and have no idea what happened. Steven's injuries were partly resistant to Nanogene treatment. It was a wonder he survived.

The door opened and Ianto entered carrying two mugs of coffee. He looked tired. And still carried the prototype in a holster. "Gwen needs a few minutes. She's talking to Tosh."

"How's that going?"

"Prototype malfunction. Tosh's asking questions Gwen doesn't understand." Ianto smiled slightly, setting the mugs down on the table.

"It might have been easier to tell her the truth. How many times have you shot him?"

Ianto sat. "Three. No, four. He always deserves it."

Jack reaches for a mug. "Owen's access needs to be restricted."

"Anwen tried to knock him over. It might have been an accident."

"Still." Without thinking, Jack set a hand on Ianto's. "Drawing a weapon in the hub. He wasn't thinking." Owen was dangerous when he was angry.

"Jack." Ianto sounded uncertain.

"Sorry." Jack withdrew his hand.

Ianto hesitated. "I don't mind. I…" He exhaled. "Cory called your office. It's why I was there."

Jack returned his hand. "He left?"

"Yep. Cory wanted you to know he had security and a safe place to stay. In London."

"Are we good?"

"I don't know." Ianto looked like he didn't know how to say something. "I want something you can't give me." Pause. "And I can't be what you want."

Jack reached Ianto. "I want you." Pause. "The secrets don't work. I don't want to lie to you."

"I don't know if I can handle the truth." Ianto looked resigned.

"I won't share details you don't need. The situation with Cory would have been different, if I told you what was happening."

Ianto didn't know what to say. "Just kiss me."

"That we can agree on." Jack leaned across the table and kissed Ianto.

* * *

Gwen Cooper met her husband at the door to the garage. She had no idea how to explain Anwen's injury. The hub was supposed to be safe. It didn't help that Owen had approved access. At least Rhys had met Owen. His attitude and anger issues were known.

"Why are we here?" Rhys sounded exhausted.

Gwen led toward the lift. "The fertility facility went in a strange direction." That was the simple version.

"You're still working? Or we're in lock-down?"

"Anwen's in the infirmary. As a precaution." Resigned, Gwen explained.

"Where is he?"

"Unconscious." She exhaled sharply. "Owen won't have free access to the hub again."

Rhys struggled with his temper. "Harper's not going near her again," he emphasized.

An argument for another day. Owen was their first choice in doctor's. "Anwen will be fine."

When the lift doors opened, Rhys asked, "John and the other man? What happened?"

"We're still trying to figure that out." The lift descended. "Based on the police report, two unknown women prevented an abduction. The responding constables were given bad information and attempted to assist in the abduction." Gwen shook her head. "The constables will live. The arses are dead."

"The kid?" Rhys asked, following Gwen out the opening doors toward the big door.

"The women took her. It's somehow connected to a violent break-in at a domestic shelter last night." It was one part of a confusing puzzle that involved genetic experimentation, alien technology and an unknown form of energy distribution. "They're connected to the woman who followed you tonight."

"She wanted me to know she was there."

The door slid aside. "There is a group of vigilantes based in Birmingham. A friend there couldn't give me anything office. But they're suspected in numerous crimes against abusive men."

"What do they want with me?"

Gwen was concerned they might have skewed views on relationships. Rhys wasn't abusive. His jealousy made him stupid at times. Her friend insisted that all of the vigilante victims were community service. They deserve what they got. "I don't know."

* * *

John Hart sat with his back to the partition on the gun range. He needed a place to think, and no one was using it. The fact that he found peace in a room for practicing killing things spoke volumes. The situation with Owen earlier said more. John knew he deserved it. And more. No matter how much he changed his behavior, it didn't affect what he was. Anwen could have died for things he'd done before she was born.

I don't know how to do this. John set his head back and closed his eyes. The urge to drink, or find something stronger, threatened to overwhelm him. All he had to do was go back to the infirmary. He could take away the pain.

The door opened. The familiar boots and movement identified Jack immediately. There had been a time they would have gone out after a crazy situation, gotten drunk, maybe picked up a friend or two, and spent a couple days in bed. John knew if Jack suggested it, he'd agree. Their lives and everything be damned.

"How the hell did we wind up like this?"

Jack leaned on the partition. "We grew up?"

"Our definition of adulthood is different."

"Mine doesn't involve brothels."

John laughed. It wasn't a happy sound. "At least paying for it doesn't end like this."

"Which addiction's flaring?" Jack asked.

At least he wasn't judging, John thought. "I want to get high. Oblivious. Numb."

"Would a technical puzzle help?"

"On this planet? There isn't technology advanced enough to distract me."

Jack touched the bottom of a tablet to the top of John's head. "What about an alien power source, possible quantum entanglement, with an unknown method of energy distribution?"

John reached up and grabbed the tablet without opening his eyes. His hand unexpectedly brushed Jack's and the rush was intoxicating. John knew the consequences of even considering it. One more illusionary form of happiness to avoid. "Is this from today?" He opened his eyes and looked at it.

"Yes. The biomech lab led me to a transportation company." Pause. "If I had realized the extend of it, I wouldn't have disconnected it without mapping the energy output first."

"You need to work things out with Ianto. And get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Jack sounded surprised.

John shrugged. "I can't imagine eye candy is good for anything else."

"Right." Pause. "When are you changing his office name back?"

"When he reinstates my remote-access."


	25. Chapter 25

**Red Dragon Centre; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Monday, August 8, 2021**

With everything, it was decided Ianto Jones would meet with Dr. Corse. He tried asking Owen about his experience with the doctor, but he insisted on asking questions about the retcon incident instead. Ianto reviewed the information from last December, took notes, and hoped there wouldn't be a problem.

He entered the coffee shop across Bute Place from the Millennium Centre. Mid afternoon between rushes had a short line and few people sitting. Dr. Corse waited near the door to the center with her back to a wall. Ianto received his order and walked over.

"Doctor Corse," he greeted, "I am Ianto Jones."

She motioned at the chair across from her. "Prynhawn da."

Ianto smiled as he sat. "You speak Welsh?"

"Enough to get into trouble."

That was unexpected. While it could be simple manners, he wondered why. "Have you had any problems with your investigation?"

"No more than usual."

That made him wonder more. The city attorney still argued that PD could not assist Torchwood without a court order or a warrant. Her reasoning appeared to be more complicated than she claimed. After the fertility clinic and the transportation company, the issue should have been resolved. For the same reason, there shouldn't have been a problem to begin with. If Dr. Corse wasn't having problems, she had connections.

"Any progress on finding the source?"

"No." She sipped her coffee. "There might be a connection to the industrial park you mentioned. Based on what I found at the port in Dublin, exposure was accidental." She was uncertain. "I have been unable to determine is why anyone would intentionally salvage the parasites. Or maintain them. Even as a weapon, there are simpler, easier options that are harder to trace. With fewer risks."

"Fear?"

"I doubt it." Pause. "It's a puzzle. The aliens kept them aboard their ship for a reason. The only detail that stands out is biological composition. They have very strange properties. Nothing comparable in the Torchwood database."

"Weapon, drug, folk medicine…"

"Not for humans. I checked on known aliens. I doubt a Hoix could eat them."

If there was an industrial park connection, it could be tied to the cases they were investigating. "Genetic engineering?"

"No. Exposure permanently damages the host. It would complicated harvesting biological material. Neither the parasite nor it's byproducts have any obvious value."

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

Gwen Cooper entered Jack's office. Secrets were nothing new. And questions she had no idea how to ask weren't either. Seeing Jack and John together made her wonder if she should say something. They had a history Jack wouldn't talk about. The conflict with Ianto hadn't been completely resolved yet, although he and Jack were trying to make it look that way. Given that John was the only other member of Jack's culture or the Time Agency available, reconnecting wasn't that surprising. Reviving their friendship had the potential to cause a number of problems. Depending on how bad things were with Ianto, rekindling the past relationship might appeal to Jack. Even after everything. She knew first hand the bad decisions a person could make when the stress became overwhelming and understanding was needed.

"We have confirmation the other four people killed in London were associated with Moss-Probert. They were the fake bomb squad that removed evidence of alien technology from the destroyed facility."

Jack nodded. "Any suspects?"

Gwen hesitated and Jack looked up. "Torchwood and PD still question whether you were involved. No witnesses. No evidence. CCTV for the area is fried."

"I wouldn't have left bodies."

Tosh had said much the same thing. Not reassuring. "It could have been retaliation or clean up. We don't have enough information."

Jack nodded. "Any local updates?"

"Three small businesses closed suddenly over the weekend. One did business with Moss-Probert, the fertility clinic and the transportation company."

"Anyone we can talk to?"

"No." The conversations she'd had with a few other local businesses had her wondering. "Half the businesses I called asking for information referred me to their solicitors. For no obvious reason. Cattrel Industries went so far as to say that they would only provide information to legitimate law enforcement."

"I spoke to the London office. The problem with database access is specific to us. IT went so far as to suggest that we needed office staff with computer experience."

Gwen grimaced. "Ianto was blamed?" Unless the person was unaware of their relationship, and it was often viewed as joke in London, the insult was intentional.

"HR asked about our relationship and whether it started before or after I hired him."

"What does targeting Ianto accomplish other than anger you?"

"I don't know."

Gwen had an idea, but she had no idea how to say it. "The future needed a way to ensure you would accept John. If Ianto left because of your view of sex…"

Jack stared at her a moment. "Ianto and I worked it out."

No you didn't, Gwen thought. Even Anwen could see it and said something. "It's a coincidence?"

* * *

John Hart needed a distraction from the insanely complicated energy distribution puzzle. Repairing a mini maintenance bot sounded like a simple task. He used the work table in Ianto's office. One complication after another made it embarrassing. He used his wrist-strap to run yet another diagnostic. Then realized it hadn't malfunctioned. It was reprogrammed. To do what?

The door opened and Anwen entered followed by a full-sized maintenance bot. She had her wrist-strap open and was giving it remote orders. That answered one question. "Uncle Jack showed me how to use it. Somewhat." She motioned at her wrist. "So I don't accidentally take over the hub or something."

"What did you reprogram this one to do?" John motioned to the bot.

Anwen smiled. "To override the Internet nanny on tablets and my laptop."

John laughed. If she was older, he would have thought of it, assuming she wanted access to porn. "Horse websites?" He had no idea why a nanny would block those.

"And cowboy movies made this century."

"I need to show you how to avoid conflicting instructions."

Anwen nodded. "I have an idea for the bigger one."

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"The garden." She grinned. "I redirected my GPS implant through the computer. If mum checks on me, it shows I'm in the garden. And I get a notification."

John laughed more. That sounded like him at her age. "What do you want to do with the bot?"

"Add security options. If it could offer a distraction, noise, throw something, it could distract an intruder. Or attack one."

The humor faded. "You're worried about Owen?"

"I'm worried about the next threat."


	26. Chapter 26

**Roald Dahl Plass; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness waited for Ianto near the lift. A summary of his meeting was important. The nagging suspicion that someone was trying to manipulate them was equally important and harder to discuss. Any approach he mentally reviewed sounded self-serving or egotistical.

"Miss me?" Ianto smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Gwen said something." It was cheap, but Ianto could ask her. "She's concerned that the HR complaint and IT is targeting your for a reason."

"It's not about me." Ianto reached for Jack's hand. "People you care about are your weakness." They twined their fingers together. "Using Cory against me made you question your judgment. Yourself. You're distracted. Having trouble sleeping."

Jack squeezed Ianto's hand. "We need to figure it out."

"That's part of the problem." Ianto sighed. "If I said moving in together would fix it, you'd agree. It would work for awhile. Until different arguments started." He pressed his forehead and set his free hand on Jack's arm. "I don't know how to fix it."

Another idea came to mind. A counterintuitive one. "Do you want to see my other life?" Pause. "Not the sex."

"What would that accomplish?"

Jack had no idea. "Understanding?"

Ianto looked up. "How would watching you flirt with other people help?"

"We could both flirt."

Confused, Ianto asked, "Why?"

"It's fun." Jack gave it a moment. "When was the last you went to a club? Danced with women?"

Ianto looked haunted. "Before the Institute was destroyed."

And Lisa's death, Jack thought, more than thirteen years. "Just think about it."

"I'd rather move in."

Jack kissed Ianto's forehead. "Go ahead."

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

After disconnecting the call, Gwen Cooper checked the police network. It looked similar to the fertility clinic. An anonymous 999 call led to a break-in. The thieves entered the office through a door without setting off alarms. Then searched the building and removed hard drives. The constables on-site described it as professional.

Padrig Toller saw scattered technology resembling the Sanatorium Park probe situation and call it in. He suspected PD would block Torchwood's access to the scene, so he sent pictures. Viewing them on her mobile, she agreed with the similarity. She hoped that like the river bank hoax, the items were miscellaneous trash. Rather than a distraction, she suspected this was intended to catch their attention.

Gwen looked up as the lift descended. Jack and Ianto held hands and looked less tense. She hoped that was good. Their relationship stabilized both of them and the office by default. With everything going on, they need the added stress.

"I need you to look at this." She held out the mobile to Jack. "The office didn't open today. Constables are trying to track down the staff for a welfare check."

He walked over and accepted it. "Is this anywhere near the park or the river?"

"Yes and no. It's in City Gardens south of of the park but half a mile east of the river. Maybe."

Jack nodded. "Is Owen still here?"

Unfortunately. "Yeah."

"Cardiff PD will have a harder time telling Torchwood London they can't access a site with reported alien technology."

"Dr. Corse?"

"Probably best to keep Jack away from her," Ianto said. "She has issues with male co-workers. She mistook Owen's attitude for sexual harassment."

Gwen couldn't picture that. "How stupid is she?"

"Tosh would give you details, if you asked."

"I will." Gwen could understand mistaking Jack's behavior. Whereas Owen might as well have arse written on his forehead.

* * *

 **Timau Tacluso Home and Business Cleaners**

Owen Harper waited until Jack entered the car park. The explanation he received for two days in the infirmary didn't work. Why would they have an untested prototype laying around? Under what circumstances would he pick up an unidentified weapon? Gwen's complete lack of of sympathy said something else happened.

"Why did Ianto shoot me?" It made slightly more sense.

"Which time?" Jack parked.

"I didn't touch your gun."

Jack smiled suggestively. "Ianto would shoot you for that."

Owen emphasized, "What did I do?"

Seeing Jack hesitate uncharacteristically as the humor faded added to the growing list of questions. "You made a bad decision that resulted in Anwen getting hurt."

That fit with Gwen's attitude. "What?"

"Let it go."

Jack then focused his attention on his wrist-strap. He flipped it open and scanned the area. From his expression, he didn't like what he found. He reprogrammed it and scanned again. He didn't like the new results anymore than the last.

The list of questions grew. Jack's refusal to explain the retcon incident or the case implied a loss of trust. They had their disagreements over the years. The last days before moving to London had been tense. But not secretive. Jack kept treating him as part of the team.

They climbed out of the Torchwood van and walked toward the constable standing at the door. Jack said he needed someone with London credentials. Watching Jack display an ID instead of flirt was confusing. Owen found his own credentials and waited. The formality suggested a conflict with the locals.

"It's not Torchwood jurisdiction," the young constable said nervously.

"We received information that alien technology was found during the initial walk-through."

"Inaccurate information." A plain-clothed constable stepped out of the building. "I'm DC Heaven. This is my scene."

Jack quickly removed his mobile from a jacket pocket. "The report came with photographs. Items similar to the Sanatorium Park probe situation." He held out his phone.

Heaven crossed her arms. "No investigation photos have been released."

After returning his ID, and mobile to one pocket, Jack withdrew a hand-held scanner from another. He made a production of scanning the area. He learned more using his wrist-strap. The device beeped with results. He appeared to read them.

Jack motioned toward the evidence van. "You already boxed up the items."

Owen grimaced. That could have gone badly. Unless the person had some idea of what he was doing.

"Torchwood has jurisdiction over all alien technology." Jack returned the scanner to his pocket and removed his mobile. "We need to review and secure the items photographed."

"This is my scene," Heaven emphasized.

"Owen is from the London team that secured the fertility clinic."

Taking that as a cue, Owen held out his credentials. "Doctor Owen Harper, Torchwood medical."

The woman's hesitation was worrisome. It wasn't that she disbelieved. She disapproved. After Miracle Day, when Torchwood's existence was revealed by international news, they had fewer problems. Most people recognized Jack by his clothes. With everything that happened in Cardiff, he shouldn't have been questioned.

"Collecting and storing alien technology or artifacts without knowing what they are or do is dangerous." Lecturing civilians, nevertheless police, on common sense required more social niceties than he had. "Best case scenario if something goes wrong DC, the van blows up. There are a lot worse ways to die." He gave it a moment to sink in. "My duties often involve evaluating technology by how it killed the person who played with it."


	27. Chapter 27

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Agitated, Ianto Jones used Jack's desk to review paperwork. John had taken over the office he mislabeled to fix maintenance bots. Ianto conceded they had a few behaving strangely. That didn't mean he liked it. Nor the fact that John had somehow prevented him from changing the office name back.

The desk phone rang. Diplomacy, Ianto thought, and reached for it. "Cardiff Torchwood."

"This is Mary Kimble with Human Resources in London. I need to speak with Ianto Jones."

He rolled his eyes. "This is."

"Mr. Jones, I have been unable to reach you about the complaint you filed."

That took Ianto a moment. "I didn't file a complaint."

"I have it in front of me." She countered.

"Ma'am," Ianto said, and emphasized, "I did not file a complaint."

"If you are not feeling safe discussing it at the office, perhaps you would like to discuss it in person. We can pay for your transportation."

Ianto set his hand over his face. "Ms. Kimble it's not necessary." It was a ridiculous conversation. "Can you send a copy to my account?"

"Who is this? Interfering with a harassment investigation is grounds for termination."

Patience, Ianto told himself. "Ma'am, Jack and Owen are in the field. As it involves a conflict with local PD, it is easy to confirm. That leaves me and Gwen." Pause. "I did not file a complaint. Please send me a copy."

Kimble didn't believe him. "Why would someone file a false complaint?"

Good question. "I don't know." Pause. "I have worked with Jack and Gwen for thirteen years. No one is harassing me. No one here filed that complaint." Ianto gave it a moment. "You should be able to run a voice analysis to confirm my identity and that I am not under duress."

"Please hold." The line went silent. A few minutes later, she returned. "Please state your name and occupation for voice confirmation."

Ianto shook his head slightly. "Ianto Jones. I am Torchwood Three office support."

The computer clicked on her end.

"Confirmed," she said. "This doesn't make sense."

Ianto agreed. It could explain the various problems they were having. If false reports had been sent to law enforcement and not just HR.

The hub computer beeped indicated he had mail. Ianto grabbed a tablet he wasn't using it. "I received your file transfer." He opened it. "Ongoing domestic violence?" That explained her insistence. "No." Skimming, he found a disturbing description of how his and Jack's relationship started. "When did you get this?"

"August 3rd."

The same day someone sent him the video. That potentially explained some of the odd messages they'd received from London. "This has to be related to a bizarre situation we had that day."

Kimble said carefully, "You received a sex tape proving your partner cheated on you."

Ianto had no idea how she knew that. "I received a disturbing video that day. As part of a fake hostage situation. Using modified porn as proof of life pictures." It was transferred from his account to secured storage. Four people knew about it.

"It was forwarded to HR from your office." Kimble seemed to realize there was a problem with that.

"No. Please send me a copy." If nothing else, it would test the new email security for videos.

"This is disturbing."

You have no idea, Ianto thought.

The computer beeped a moment before the warning sounded.

"Received."

"I apologize for the this. I have worked HR for more than twenty-years and never seen a situation like this."

"Is it possible to flag any complaints reportedly from this office? We have three full-time and one part-time employee here. We live in the same block of flats. If we had a problem, we would deal with it."

"I can. I will still need to investigate."

"Understood."

The call ended after awkward pleasantries.

What was going on?

* * *

Gwen Cooper reviewed the MP murder files Tosh sent from London in the conference room. By Torchwood standards, it was unusual. She had unfortunately seen numerous forms of homicide over the years. What stood out was not only the extreme cause of death but the ease by which the victims were identified. The killer or killers wanted them known.

While framing Jack could explain it, she doubted that was the motivation. Instead, she considered how the murders could benefit anyone. It made her think of organized crime. Someone made a statement with seven brutal, unexplained deaths. Why? The suspect possibilities varied by the intended target. The most obvious was those condoning unethical experimentation. Or someone in the remaining Moss-Probert organization made an example of them for their failure.

She hit the same wall London did. They needed information they had no way of getting. They needed more details to even know where to start looking.

The Cardiff facility was creatively blocked. Either MP was being investigated by multiple branches of law enforcement. Or a person using police resources set her up to accidentally expose multiple undercover agents.

Gwen sat back. She needed a different approach. One idea that came to mind. Lake and Starkie were at both scenes. How did they get from Cardiff to London? Drove was the most likely answer. Each had a car registered. Finding them required remotely sifting through the London PD files. Lake's car was found in Manchester and Starkie's was in Calais near the tunnel. The investigators had been unable to determine how they arrived in London. Both cars appeared abandoned. They had no CCTV footage nor witnesses. Calais found Starkie exiting the tunnel alone days earlier.

The unnecessary effort suggested it meant something. The bodies were found in London. They may have been abducted in other cities and transported. Or their cars were relocated. It was part of a statement against repeat offenders. Or a clue for investigators. Starkie's car could be a reference to the transportation company. Moss-Probert could have locations in one or both cities.

It brought reminded her of the list of possible associates. She needed to check if anyone of them connected to Manchester, Calais, or London. Two or three cities might be something. It might not. But she didn't have a better place to start.

* * *

John Hart suspected he's over stayed his welcome in Ianto's office. Reviewing the information on the crystal egg and energy production and distribution gave him an excuse to be in the hub. Although he suspected when Steven had recuperated in the infirmary, that would be withdrawn as well.

The door opened and Anwen entered carrying a tablet. "The hub flagged a video from London. To Ianto."

"Did you look at it?" John hoped the answer was no.

She shook her head. "It's labeled 'probable porn.'" She handed it to him.

"Why am I getting this?" Instead of your mother. It reminded him of the conversation the first video triggered.

"You're like Uncle Jack." The same reason she gave him when she wanted to talk about adults and jealousy.

John suspected there was more to it. Although he might be attributing adult motives. "I will check it."

"Thanks." She left without another word.

Reviewing the video reminded him he needed to find a lover. One that didn't make homemade porn. It didn't take much to realize that Jack's face had been edited into it. He idly wondered if anyone checked the first one. John didn't want to explain how he knew it wasn't Jack to Ianto. A quick analysis provided the necessary details. He then used facial recognition on the Internet and confirmed the source.

Then the unpleasant part. John used the computer to locate Ianto in the garden. "Hey."

"What?"

"Anwen received an email notification. A video from London." An awkward conversation regardless of when and where he was born, John thought. "A system analysis determined it's fake." He handed Ianto a tablet with the details.

Ianto hesitated. "A hotel room?"

"In Vegas."

"Not the same," Ianto said quietly.

"If it makes a difference, Jack loves you. Now. The original time line I came from."

"Why do you care?"

You wouldn't believe me, John thought as he turned and walked away.


	28. Chapter 28

**Timau Tacluso Home and Business Cleaners; Cardiff, Wales**

Jack Harkness had an uneasy feeling walking through the office. He knew something was wrong. After several times through, it occurred to him. The cleaning business had no stored cleaning supplies nor uniforms. That made him look closer at everything. Company pictures were generic and probably fake. The copier looked old but barely used. He found an incredibly organized supply closet. Jack started taking pictures with his phone.

"What are you doing?" Owen asked quietly.

Jack lowered his voice. "This office looks fake. I want Ianto's opinion."

"OCD office manager?"

"Generic pictures, no promotional material, accomplishment board or employee of the week. No charts. Or clutter." Jack sent the pictures.

Owen smiled. "You just described the hub."

"It's not a business."

"I checked the website earlier." Owen quickly found it on his phone again. "It has employee pictures, and services offered."

While it wasn't what Owen meant, it gave Jack an idea. "Are they all attractive?"

Owen eyed the site. "Escort service?" He clicked through pages. "It could be. There is an emphasis on individual pictures. Cleaning packages are listed without prices."

Jack's mobile rang. He quickly found it. "Hey."

"That copier is a bad model. Inefficient. Difficult to maintain. Check the ink cartridges."

Jack walked back to the copy machine. It took him a couple minutes to figure out how to open the panel. He didn't need to check the ink. It hadn't been cleaned in years. "It's not functional."

"Do you remember how Tosh would kept her desk? Look for pictures, personal items. Anything that says a woman works here."

"It's all generic."

"Unless the company's offering industrial clean up, or other heavy labor cleaning, the odds are the office and cleaning staff would be primarily women."

Jack looked around. There was no indication the office was run by men either. That tended to be equally obvious. "The office is fake. Thanks."

DC Heaven walked in. She looked uneasy. "You need to leave."

Jack turned. Something about her tone said it wasn't her decision. "We have everything we need." He motioned to the open copier. "This isn't a real office." From her comments earlier, she hadn't realized it yet.

Best case scenario, it was a creative escort service. The break-in had different implications with that information. If it was connected to Moss-Probert or the fertility clinic, it could be human-trafficking. PD needed to check on all the employees. Both prostitution and trafficking could result in the company killing the witnesses.

Heaven exhaled sharply. "That could explain why the staff suddenly left Cardiff over the weekend."

Jack motioned to Owen and they left without argument. Inconsistencies bothered Jack as they walked. The business, regardless of the type of con, offered no explanation for the alien tech. The people who raided the office wanted Torchwood attention. The similarities to Sanatorium Park suggested a connection to Moss-Probert. If they understood the motivation behind the attack on the building. There had to be more to the situation.

Jack tapped his ear com as he climbed back into the van. "Ianto?"

"Yep."

"Make a copy of the cleaning company's website. We need facial rec on all the employees." Another thought occurred to him. "Compare with missing persons reports. Including Interpol."

"Human-trafficking?" Ianto asked.

"I don't know." Jack wondered if he was missing something. There were any number of better options than reporting it to Torchwood. Unless it involved aliens or alien technology, they would transfer the case. He tapped off the ear com.

Jack started the van and drove.

"Genetic research and experimentation is expensive," Owen commented. "Where are they getting the money?"

"Escorts wouldn't be that profitable in Cardiff." Even with human-trafficking.

"Custom genetics could be. What if they're not escorts? Surrogacy could be lucrative. Or genetic engineering. The women could be advertisements."

"Why Cardiff?" Then Jack remembered the possible Rift connection to the research. "Have you ever heard of genetic researchers offering talents? Music, science?"

"Sperm banks offer donor profiles. The theory being a parent with an impressive skill is likely to pass it on."

Could they be offering psychic children?

* * *

The brief conversation she overheard gave Gwen Cooper an idea. The tunnel could be used by human-traffickers despite protections in place to prevent it. The cleaning company didn't appear to have suitable lorries. The transportation company did. Trafficking changed the type of businesses she needed to check. And increased the number of resources available.

While prostitution was not the only related crime, it was tracked by various branches of law enforcement. Everything from massage parlors to escort agencies offering additional services. Even if tied to organized crime, they tended to be localized. Investigators noticed when typical offenses varied.

What stood out was the decrease in prostitution arrests. More than one constable mentioned the possibility of a serial offender. Birmingham reports mentioned vigilantism. Manchester had so many missing women with solicitation backgrounds, vice was doing welfare checks. As Torchwood had no reason to track prostitution cases, or missing persons cases without a specific concern, they hadn't received the information.

Gwen checked missing persons statistics. Birmingham had a national low for missing women. Other sizable cities had increases. Checking France took longer as the information was in French and mechanical translation wasn't the most reliable. A few cities had a notable change, Paris in particular. Like Manchester, they were actively tracking women with prostitution backgrounds.

She didn't know what to do. If she had information to share, she would have contacted the police departments. While she doubted it was a serial killer, it could be perceived that way. It would be hard to convince anyone human-traffickers were grabbing street-level prostitutes.

"Ianto," Gwen said over the ear com, "Are Jack and Owen headed back?"

"Yep."

An ugly picture suddenly started forming. They had genetic researchers, unethical human research, and a large number of missing women. Until that moment, she hadn't thought to check missing men associated with the sex industry. It wasn't as obvious, but it was there.

"Do we have files on genetic research and engineering?" Gwen couldn't remember a comparable investigation. "What facilities, equipment, medical specialties are involved?"

"No. Owen would know how to find it."


	29. Chapter 29

**Torchwood Three**

John Hart entered the infirmary. A computer notification told him Steven was awake. The updated medical information was good. It didn't explain the weapon used or his injuries. One puzzle in a growing list. When he recovered, they needed to focus on accessing the situation. Either they had bad information or another group was manipulating time also.

"Nanogenes didn't work?" Steven sounded weak.

"Partly," John stopped next to Steven's cot and reviewed the scan readings. "Your injuries had residual energy that interfered."

"Is the kid safe?"

John could only hope. "The Sisters didn't provide details."

"Of course not." Steven groaned. "That would be sane."

"Would your new friend be willing to answer questions?"

"What happened?"

John had no idea what was happening. Which was the problem. "Someone is feeding this office information about a network of researchers and possibly human-traffickers. It's possible that group is retaliating. Someone sent London HR a fake domestic violence report. The same day as the fake hostage situation. It included a fake porn video with Jack edited into it."

"How is tad-cu coping?"

"Him and Jack are having issues." John suspected it affected Jack's self-confidence.

Steven grimaced, pushing himself up. "How does anyone have the information necessary? When I joined Torchwood, their relationship was viewed inaccurately. It was later that tad-cu's accomplishments were publicized."

"Torchwood black ops. Anyone who's worked with Jack could know it's more than a casual relationship."

"It's more than that. Targeting tad-cu's insecurities…" Steven trailed off. "He worked at the Institute. Someone he knows."

"How many people survived the Cyberman attack?" John never had any reason to look it up, and Anwen only mentioned it in passing. It happened years before she was born.

"Not many." Steven paused to think. "Black ops went underground after the attack. Some used it to fake their deaths."

"Genetic experimentation in Cardiff suggests an attempt to create or research Rift abilities." That didn't fit with the missing women, John thought, unless the researchers were looking for specific genetic traits. He explained what he found in Gwen's investigation files.

"Manchester?" Steven shakes his head slightly. "Nothing connected to genetic research. But it wasn't until Anwen took over London that I got a seat at the table."

"We were sent here for a reason. And probably told what we needed to hear." John took a moment. "Why us?"

"I've asked myself that repeatedly." Steven laid back down. "I don't have an answer."

"When you're able, we need to review everything about the current situation. And figure it out."

Steven paused to think. "One possibility is that Anwen trusted us. She got paranoid in the end."

John doubted it was that simple. "Or she knew us. Anwen could have easily predicted our behavior in varied situations." Which meant she knew Steven wouldn't be able to cope. Which reminded John to ask about the child rescue situation. "Why did the Sisters contact you?"

"For information on missing women in the last six months."

"The prostitutes?"

Steven looked like he missed something. "No. Attacks on domestic shelters. Each had a child in care."

* * *

 **Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper walked into Jack's flat. "Owen went home."

Anwen set a box down in front of the bedroom and walked out. Gwen watched her daughter wondering what she was missing. She looked around the main room and realized there were a few boxes and a garment bag hanging on the office door.

"Is Anwen helping Ianto redecorate?"

"She volunteered to help Ianto move in before I changed my mind." Jack's tone was hard to read.

Gwen suspected that had something to do with what she said to Jack earlier. It wouldn't fix their problems, it would likely make them worse. Mentioning it wouldn't help. All she could do was hope she was wrong. Their relationship never made sense to her.

"A contact on the Manchester PD called back. I told him I was interested in the number of missing." It was worse than she originally thought. "The first attempts to file missing persons reports were three months ago. The police didn't take it seriously." She exhaled sharply. "The media found out this morning from an anonymous source. A new tabloid site claims a mass grave was found in London and cited the Moss-Probert murders as a cover-up." Pause. "It could be an attempt to force the police to investigate the missing women."

"Or cooperate with us."

That was another issue. "I had more than one contact tell me I had to request information through formal channels. London Metro said all requests had to come from Torchwood London. They received a memo that they can't provide information to regional offices." She shook her head. "I called Torchwood and asked. The person said she didn't know anything about it and would get back to me. It's been four hours."

"Did Ianto mention HR?"

Anwen entered carrying another box with Ianto behind her. Gwen waited until they left again. "No."

Jack explained the fake HR report and the video. "It might have been taken seriously."

"The timing." Gwen wondered. "Is it possible we're caught in the middle? Someone is directing our attention toward the researchers. The fertility clinic had an anonymous caller. Alien tech was left at the cleaning company. Attacking your, or our, credibility could be an attempt to deflect our investigation."

"Cory said a businessman contacted him for a networking event. It went south because he knew me." Jack paused. "Percy Heitt. Cory said he was based in Russia."

Gwen explained what she'd discovered about Lake and Starkie's cars. "What are we dealing with?"

"This could be part of the future's manipulations. Intentionally or not."

"Another team? Would John have mentioned it?"

"Or he might not know. It could have been done with cells. Like terrorists. A group only knows what they need to. Including conflicting missions."

"How would someone plan that?"

"I don't know."

Anwen returned and set a blender on the counter. "Is John still at the hub?"

"What? Gwen asked.

"John, is he at the hub? Ianto needs furniture moved. With Jack, John and dad, it won't take all night."

"Steven's still in the infirmary," Jack said.

Anwen smiled at her mother. "I guess you're moving furniture. I'll go get dad."


	30. Chapter 30

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Tuesday, August 9, 2021**

Steven Carter checked the time on his mobile. Ten AM should be a reasonable hour. He found the number Eilene used to call him days earlier, and hesitated with his finger over the connect button. While she'd shown no signs of it yet, dealing with the Sisters had similarities with defusing bombs. This group chose bold, open tactics. He would return the favor, he concluded. He tapped it.

Four rings later, Eilene answered, "Good morning, gorgeous."

Steven wondered if she did that to intentionally throw him off. "Morning. I need to ask a few questions."

"A date sounds great." She laughed.

Steven groaned, he couldn't help it. "We found a possible human-trafficking situation. It ties into some ugly research." Pause. "Do you know anything about a Manchester PD welfare check on women with solicitation backgrounds? Or an unexplained increase in missing prostitutes?"

The humor disappeared. "You're only hearing about it now? That started three months ago."

"This office focuses on Cardiff. We found the information investigating connections to local cases."

"The _escort_ agency that disappeared over the weekend?" Eilene's tone suggested she knew about or was involved in the office raid.

"We don't know yet. It could be connected to several or no current cases. We were looking for something different."

"Start before the disappearances. Dead pimps, closed businesses, empty streets." Eilene wasn't happy. "One of the teams was preparing to take down this arse with Russian and Eastern European slaves. Sick shit. He used a variety of fake businesses." She paused to get her temper under control. "From nowhere, he's dead. His goons are dead. All the women are missing. No evidence. No CCTV. Nothing."

"Manchester?" That suggested the operation was somewhere else. Whichever group might be responsible, they didn't advertise.

"Yeah."

Why hadn't Torchwood flagged it, Steven wondered. When that many people disappear, something ugly was happening. Sometimes it was Torchwood jurisdiction. "Can you send me details?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

The entire situation bothered him. There were quieter ways to abduct people. War zones, refugees, illegal immigrants, the homeless. Targeting people with paperwork meant someone would notice. He found it unlikely that multiple law enforcement agencies knew and Torchwood didn't. That suggested direct or indirect involvement. How could Torchwood possibly benefit from the inevitable PR nightmare?

* * *

Jack Harkness sat behind his desk eying the tablet. Resigned, he switched it on and accessed the secured video that Ianto received after the fake hostage situation. The video from HR led to various questions. Who created the video? Why was a fake video sent to Torchwood when the real one would have been harder to discredit?

The answer had to be the people in the video. Both women were identified as targets for extortion or rather their families. Unless inaccurate, that left the other man. He was a friend of one of the women. Jack remembered that much. Facial recognition required analysis and image adjustment. That revealed editing. Possibly to conceal the man's identity. Although that would be the easy answer.

Seeing a clear image didn't trigger any additional memories. But it made him wonder the best approach to running facial recognition. If he didn't want Torchwood seeing his face, that suggested someone might recognize him. That meant facial rec needed a different approach. While it was possible to run an anonymous Internet search, that took a lot of effort and wasn't guaranteed. The Global mainframe offered a better option. But required the man to be in the files.

"Computer, activate intercom." It clicked. "John, are you here?"

"He's not." Steven still sounded weak and tired.

"I need a Global search."

"Bring it to the infirmary."

Anwen injected, "I can run it."

"Steven might be able to answer questions." Jack stood.

"I have information about the missing persons case."

After the brief conversation, Jack headed to the infirmary. The walk gave him him time to think. Assuming the man in the video was somehow involved, and not a coincidence, Jack considered the possibilities. Someone made the video. If he was the target instead of the women, that involved different questions. A few stayed the same. Why send it to Ianto? What did anyone hope to accomplish? He had no idea.

The infirmary door slid open and Steven looked up. He sat with a pile of tablets on the table next to his cot. "How bad is it?"

"A man might be connected to Torchwood London."

"Anwen could have run that search," Steven said. "My duties with Torchwood London often started with the same questions. 'What is your grandfather doing?'" Pause. "You don't know me or trust me. Asking John says you wanted someone that wouldn't asked questions. Doing it public says it's urgent."

Jack had already concluded that Steven was who said he was. Faking it took more time and effort than it was worth. "Possible black ops." Steven was right about trust concerns.

"The first video?" Steven gave it a moment. "It doesn't take much to guess the person targeting tad-cu knows him." He flipped open his wrist-strap. "Sex and nudity are worthless as a weapon against someone with your reputation."

"Thanks." Jack previously found it funny.

Steven held his hand out. "I need the picture."

Jack handed his tablet to Steven. Seeing a near replica of his own wrist-strap was disconcerting. On top of everything else. "I agreed to a copy?"

The computer chimed indicating the search started. "Reluctantly." Steven looked up. "Imagine how bad it would have to get before you'd consider it?"

"And John?"

"Would have done anything Anwen asked."

That unfortunately fit with what Jack already suspected. Although Steven said what was expected. With John, Jack at least had an idea of what he was dealing with. Even after everything. He'd barely spent time with his grandson. Alyce wouldn't have allowed last December if she hadn't needed emergency surgery, and been unable to object.

"Would you?"

"No."

Jack suspected the opposite was true. Which could explain why Steven was sent back with John. That type of loyalty required extreme circumstances or insanity. What kind of person could inspire it? Jack needed more information and doubted Steven would provide it. That left creating a psyche profile based on her known actions. Which would have been anticipated, if it mattered.


	31. Chapter 31

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Ianto Jones carefully arranged his desk. It was nice to have a place for his family pictures. With Rhiannon's kids in college, he rarely saw them. Seeing the pictures reminded him to call his sister. She'd want an update on Anwen. He needed to check with Gwen if she was waiting until Anwen returned to school to continue daycare.

Before talking to Gwen, he needed to check inventory and see if she left any notes. The ongoing problems caused the chores to accumulate. He checked his laptop. He had notes from Gwen, Rhys, Anwen and even John. It had to be the first time Jack hadn't sent him a list.

Another time, Ianto reminded himself. They would figure it out.

Hoping for something amusing, Ianto selected Anwen's list. He wasn't disappointed. It had a picture of Grumpy Cat from social media with a list of needed safety precautions including catnip traps and Nerf water guns. Leave it to Anwen to turn getting shot into a joke. The actual items on her list were groceries.

Gwen, as expected, needed more ammunition and had concerns about her car. Rhys had building maintenance questions and asked if one of the mini bots could be brought to his office for basic repairs and some cosmetic work. After staring at the option for longer than he cared to admit, he checked John's list. He wanted service manuals for mundane appliances and equipment. Ianto couldn't help but wonder if John fixed things when he was stressed.

Fixing things. That made him think about the faking cleaning company for some reason. Ianto retrieved the office pictures Jack sent. The worthless copier couldn't be fixed. Since it was unlikely the staff ever used it, they didn't break it. Where would someone get it? Unless it was in long term storage for a prop, they got it from somewhere. Intentionally buying unless equipment would be memorable. It could also lead to other fake offices.

Ianto quickly found his business spreadsheet. He kept notes on where to buy different items and equipment. It included companies not to purchase from and why. Bad second-hand office equipment was on the list. Justifying new equipment sometimes required explaining why used wasn't possible.

As Ianto considered who to call first, another thought occurred to him. An inoperable copier proved the office was fake. It was a dumb mistake to make. Unless the buyer was unaware it wouldn't work. If the person selling the copier knew they wouldn't use it nor think to check, he didn't need to give them one that worked. There weren't a lot of people with the guts to con human-traffickers.

Ianto smiled and reached for the desk phone. Unless they intentionally bought a worthless printer, he knew who sold it them.

With the amount of activity in Manchester, Gwen Cooper knew there had to be something. According to the police notes, standard police work didn't find anything. She reviewed the details to make sure it was thoroughly. Not everyone considered criminals to be worth the effort. She didn't find anything obvious. There were some lax reports, but other officers covered the gaps.

The last case listed involved a broad daylight abduction of a woman in front of her two children. They weren't sure if it was related because of the drastic change in MO. They had witnesses and partial CCTV footage, but no number plate information. The men wore some type of masks over their face that obscured pictures. One mobile image showed the man's face glowed. While it was impressive for normal technology, it didn't mean it was alien.

Gwen worked her way back. She understood the frustration evident in the reports. They had nothing. People were willing to talk and they had nothing. The two things that stood out were the complete lack of usual evidence and no indication of collateral damage. Professional abductors with well planned abductions. The amount of time, effort, and manpower necessary didn't make sense.

Agitated, she paused to think. She need something. Anything. She did an Internet search for prostitution and genetics. What stood out was the possibility that prostitution, particularly generational, could develop immunities to sexually transmitted diseases. In the early 2000s, a study in Kenya may have found sex workers immune to HIV because of continual exposure, but the research appeared minimal.

That suggested a few possibilities. The researchers wanted certain types of antibodies. Gwen couldn't believe there was enough money in treating STDs to explain the situation. Or exposure. A new disease someone wanted to keep quiet or research. Or a failed treatment. None of which explained the extreme approach. Unless it involved something incredibly unethical or had an alien origin.

Gwen checked for STD statistics prior to the abductions. Nothing stood out. She checked on new treatments. A few options, but none looked promising. Then she focused on medical facilities. A clinic opened in a poor neighborhood. It offered services that would appeal to sex workers. Or sexually active people in general.

It could have been an unfortunate coincidence. She started comparing details with the local offenders looking for a connection.

* * *

John Hart eyed the security panel in the garage. It had new requirements and offered instructions in Welsh. He never learned the language, but he heard enough of it from Anwen. He used his mobile to translate, suspecting it was Ianto's way of retaliating over the office name.

Revenge gave him something amusing to think about as he walked down the hall. A few options that wouldn't disrupt the office came to mind. After he corrected his login again.

After passing through the big door, John grabbed a tablet from one of the workstations. He checked Steven's medical reading first. Than checked system reports. Several of the maintenance bots had malfunctioning software. Anwen must have tried multiple new programs. If badly programming bots was the worst of it, they were lucky, he thought. At her age, he caused a lot of trouble learning how to manipulate computers and machines. Some of it was intentional.

With Ianto gone for the day, John decided on the workbench in the office. Unlike the garage door, he had to use Global to force access. What pissed you off, John wondered. When he finally had access, he briefly wondered if it was booby-trapped. He used his wrist-strap to scan the room before entering.

Summoning the malfunctioning bots was simpler. What were you trying to do, John asked himself. Then he found the notes Anwen made. She liked pranks. He couldn't blame her. The hub was safe but boring. Her sense of humor wasn't dangerous as far as he could tell.

The door slid open a few minutes later and Steven entered using a cane. He looked pale and weak. John moved around the work bench and grabbed a chair behind the extra desk. Reluctantly, Steven sat. The walk from the infirmary must have been exhausting.

"Why are you up?"

"Gwen found a location in Manchester." Steven motioned toward a tablet. "Jack won't listen to us. Ianto will stay and Jack will take Gwen thinking he can protect her. I hope he can."

John passed Steven a tablet.

"If I'm right, we need to prepare a response."

Anwen's modifications gave John ideas. "We can use the bots."

"To do what?"

"That one is programmed to play music and throw glitter. It could potentially throw stun pellets."

"Glitter? Anwen, I hope."

"That one can override Internet security. It could be redesigned to remotely disable security."

Steven eyed it a moment. "She doesn't like an Internet nanny?"

"It blocks entire horse sites and cowboy movies." John reviewed another scan of a bot. "She tried to set that one up for 3D holographic images. Of a Nature show."

"Mustangs?" Steven groaned.

John chuckled. "It could be worse."

"Give her a few years, it will be 3D elf porn."

John leaned on the workbench and laughed.

"Do I want to know?"

"No." John once set-up holographic projectors in Anwen's bedroom. It was a running joke for years.

Steven looked up from the tablet. "The bots can do major repairs like the damage to the Williams' flat. Can you weaponize them?"

"Yeah." John trailed off, thinking. "We need to to transport them across distances."

"Portal devices?"

"Yeah."


	32. Chapter 32

**New Community Clinic; Manchester, England**

Jack Harkness parked the Torchwood van in the adjacent car park. According to the clinic's website, it should be open. With no lights showing in the windows, and no cars, he found it unlikely. That contradicted the information they received from local constables. He flipped open his wrist-strap and scanned the area.

"They knew we were coming?" Gwen asked.

That seemed likely. "There is alien technology near the center of the building."

"Dangerous?"

"No." Something felt off. "I want you to stay out here."

"Jack…"

"Stay here," he emphasized as he released his seat-belt.

Jack climbed out and eyed the area. People walking on the pavement stopped and stared at him and the van. Cars slowed as they drove by. Everything looked normal. Except the uneasiness increased as he crossed the lot. He paused outside the door and scanned again. Nothing changed.

Conversations with the Cardiff city attorney came to mind as he used tech to unlock the door. She argued scanning for alien tech was unlawful search and that it didn't meet the requirements for probable cause. He doubted the local police department set it up to arrest him. But he'd seen dumber things.

The door opened without a problem. A silent building greeted him. Jack entered slowly. It was quiet as a tomb, he thought. While he had nothing but a feeling, he knew there was a problem. His reaction was as suspicious as the unexplained closure.

What is this place? Jack wondered as he walked down the halls. It looked like a medical clinic. Except he'd seen NHS facilities. They had guidelines and budgets. He recognized a few pieces of expensive equipment. The ergonomic office chairs weren't cheap either. He leaned through a waiting room window to look at the desk and noticed the computer tower. It wasn't real.

A mobile rang faintly in the distance. Then the building shook from an explosion. Jack grabbed the counter and held on. The second detonation cracked the cement floor and brought the ceiling down.

"Jack?" Gwen's anxious voice came over the ear com.

"Stay back." He explained what he knew.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Ianto Jones entered the hub with Anwen close behind. They spent the morning running errands. With Jack and Gwen heading for Manchester, there wasn't much that needed to be done. Unless there was a local emergency. Ianto didn't want to think about that. It would require relying on John.

Anwen walked over and grabbed a tablet off a nearby workstation. Before the changes, Ianto would have said something. She needed to understand the wrist-strap. And trying to stop her wouldn't work. Hopefully she was careful. It was a lot to ask of a nine year old.

"Steven's out of the infirmary."

Good, he can leave, Ianto thought. John will have no excuse to come back.

Anwen smiled. "They're in your office."

Ianto groaned. His attempt to block John was juvenile, but he was tired of seeing "eye candy" any time he accessed his files. The office label was bad enough. It now affected his computer access, and there was no way for him to correct it.

"They're fixing my bots," she declared happily.

That didn't sound good. Ianto followed Anwen as she hurried through the halls. He didn't want to think about what they were doing with the maintenance bots.

Ianto's mobile rang, distracted him, as the door opened to his office. He checked the screen. "Morning."

"We have a problem." Gwen sounded like her adrenaline was pumping. "The clinic blew. I can talk to Jack, but I can't get to him. He's concerned the building isn't safe."

"Tell me you're not in the building."

"No. Jack insisted I stay in the van. I called local PD to cordon off the area. But I don't know if it's safe."

"Hold on." Ianto took a deep breath and walked into his office. "Can you get to Manchester quickly?" Both John and Steven around Cardiff quickly without transportation.

"Yeah," Steven said. "What happened?"

Ianto switched his mobile to speaker. "Gwen, Steven and John are here. With me and Anwen."

"We can get to you within minutes," Steven said.

Gwen repeated what little she knew.

"Ask Jack if he can send me or Steven scan data," John said. "We need to know what type of explosive."

John's wrist-strap chimed. He flipped his open and reviewed the details. He than transferred them to a tablet, and handed it to Ianto. "Gwen, have the police establish an eight block radius, if they haven't already. Tell Jack it's a V15 situation. It's going to take awhile to get him out of there."

"What does that mean?" Gwen asked.

John ignored the question. "Our priority is to get you out. Then we send in bots." He looked at Steven. "We need a bot replicator. And a lot of matter."

"I can't build that. You need to stay here."

"Are you up for getting Gwen?"

She argued. "I'm not leaving."

John picked up a handful of stun pellets and handed them to Steven. He nodded as he removed a device from his pocket. Then turned and walked out of the office.

"Steven is meeting you. We need more details on the area." John motioned toward the speaker button on Ianto's mobile.

Ianto tapped it and lifted the phone to his ear. He had an idea of what they were about to do and he didn't like it. "Is there a way to set up a relay to talk to Jack?"

"Once we have a bot in place."

"How long?"

"A few minutes," John said. "I know you don't trust me. Nothing I say or do will change that."

The pain in his voice sounded genuine. It fit with everything they'd seen so far. Except John had conned them before with bombs because of a diamond. He shot Owen. Left Gwen to die. And impulsively pushed Jack off a roof. It was too much to forgive.

An unfamiliar alarm sounded. Ianto quickly accessed the hub using a tablet. Not wanting to believe it, he ran a diagnostic on the garage door. It wasn't an error. Someone breached the door. CCTV showed a four person team wearing black clothes that somehow distorted CCTV.

* * *

" **I wish I could trust you."** (Thor)

" **Trust my rage."** (Loki)

Thor 2: The Dark World


	33. Chapter 33

**Disconcerting Part 2**

 **William Haulage; Cardiff, Wales**

 **Tuesday, August 9, 2021**

Steven Carter arrived in the car park trying to stay upright while holding Gwen. He had to use a stun pellet because she wasn't willing to leave Jack. Arguing would have been dangerous. While Steven had no idea what a V15 bomb did, he knew from previous experience that John and Jack used abbreviations when something didn't translate. It meant they encountered a similar technology while working for the Time Agency.

Unable to carry her, Steven checked for her mobile. Going through an unconscious woman's pockets was not something he cared to think about. He could only assume she had Rhys' number in her contacts. Steven needed to hand her off before he passed out from exertion or pain. The fingerprint ID made it more awkward. If anyone walked by, it would be difficult to explain.

Focus, Steven told himself as the pain made his vision blur. Only then did he realize he was going to have to explain the situation. As much of the truth as possible, he thought, as the mobile rang. There was a bomb. Jack's hurt. There is a problem at the hub.

"Forget something?" Rhys asked.

"Mr. Williams, this is Steven Carter. I'm in the car park with Gwen. There was a situation. She's unconscious and I'm too hurt to get her inside."

"With London?" Rhys sounded skeptical.

The man survived more than a decade of marriage to a Cardiff Torchwood agent, Steven reminded himself. "No. I work with John."

"I will be right out."

Great, he's going to shoot me, Steven thought. As expected, Rhys was armed, but he approached from an unexpected direction. Steven heard the door open. He hoped Rhys would see Gwen and not shoot. Steven had to give Rhys credit, for a civilian, he had solid tactics.

"Mr. Williams," Steven said, hoping to defuse the situation. "Jack needs help. The hub is not responding." With as bad as he sounded, it didn't have to sell the urgency.

Rhys stepped around the back of a lorry. He lowered his gun. "What happened?"

Steven explained what he knew as his vision blurred again. It must have been obvious. Rhys walked over and took Gwen. Good timing, Steven thought, as Gwen started to wake up. He needed to leave before she explained her version of events.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

John Hart consulted his wrist-strap and didn't like what he saw. The four man team had impressive distortion technology. He had to rely on energy readings to determine what type of armor and weapons they had, and suspected advanced destabilizers. In 2049, Torchwood had basic weapons and prototypes. While he'd seen various corporations with advanced alien technology, this was new.

"They have weapons that can disrupt Anwen's Rift ability."

"How?" Ianto sounded suspicious.

John had no idea. "It fits with the explosive used in Manchester." Except the destabilizers which were specific to Earth.

"Will the bots work?" Anwen asked.

"As a distraction." John knew he had to consider the possibility they could anticipate his actions. "We need to do something unexpected."

"Can the bots functioned shielded?" Ianto asked.

John looked up.

"Program the bots to dissolve their clothes."

That definitely qualified as unexpected.

"How they react will tell us if they're local."

John nodded as he remotely accessed the bots using his wrist-strap. "Do you have downloaded music or movies?" They couldn't access the Internet.

Anwen nodded. "For the glitter program."

"The what?" Ianto asked.

"Anwen tried to reprogram one of the bots to play music and throw glitter." John eyed the list and didn't recognize the titles. "Are any of these obnoxious?"

* * *

Ianto Jones watched the four intruders trying to adapt to the loss of most of their clothes. The bots had been unable to destroy pieces of their armor and the head piece that distorted camera footage. They looked like a reality police show with their faces glowing.

"This is more than Torchwood block ops," John commented absently. "This technology is modified correctly."

"Are they after me?" Anwen asked quietly.

Ianto reached out and set a hand on her shoulder. "You're safe."

"John, can you create a video of me? To play on the access panels. Maybe one of the bots."

"Why?" He sounded distracted.

"If someone sent four men with advanced tech to abduct one little kid. They think I'm dangerous."

John looked at Ianto. "If it worked, we could use that as a distraction. Without their armor, we can hit them."

It sounded solid. Except Ianto didn't trust John. Breaching the hub was complicated and close to impossible. It required inside knowledge. Which John had. If Anwen was gone, he might have control of Global. There were problems with that theory. If he wanted to harm Anwen or try to force control of the hub, he didn't need the high end thugs.

"Where are we securing Anwen?"

She replied, "If they have access to the computer, or my GPS, I can make them think I'm somewhere else."

"Secured quarantine." Ianto had concerns. Not just about John. "They had to anticipate problems."

"Distraction?" John looked back at the tablet. "How did they intend to get Anwen out of the hub?"

"What if they're getting their information from London?" An idea was forming in Ianto's mind. "HR received a fake domestic violence report. If the people behind this thought they were breaking into a Torchwood facility like London, and the only person protecting Anwen was how I'm seen there…"

Anwen quickly found something on her tablet. "I copied this from YouTube." She played a clip from Resident Evil showing the holographic Red Queen from The Hive. "You're all going to die down here." She repeated the phrase and sounded just as creepy.

Ianto almost asked the obvious. How did you get access? She used her wrist-strap, hub access or both to override the Internet nanny. It also explained how she knew she could provide an inaccurate GPS location.

"They're naked and confused. Scaring them could help." Anwen smiled. "Or if they think a kid is trapped in here with her babysitter, it will fit what they think they know."


	34. Chapter 34

**New Community Clinic; Manchester, England**

Jack Harkness shifted slightly, the cramp position in the rubble made it painful. Moving didn't help. Resigned, he checked his wrist-strap again. The situation was volatile and getting worse. From Gwen's last message, he suspected she'd been removed from the area by force. While he didn't want to trust his team to John, it was the right decision.

His ear com clicked. "Jack," Steven said.

"Where is Gwen?"

"With Rhys. When I get you out of there, I would appreciate you convincing them not to shoot me."

Jack smiled despite everything. "Gwen refused to leave?"

"Yeah." Steven hesitated. "Did you get a hub notification?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know. When I left, John was prepping bots. He needed to build something to replicate more. Or I would have stayed." Steven sounded stressed. "I can't get you out of there. And it's not safe for me to stay."

"Did the police expand the barricade?"

"Yeah. The energy coming off the building is causing the evacuation. The constables are assisting where they can."

Jack wished he could talk to Gwen. His cell phone wouldn't work with the interference. The problem was more than the bomb. "There could be another problem." That he had no idea how to explain. "I had a similar uneasy feeling approaching the fake cleaning company."

"Could it have been some kind of warning?"

Jack hadn't considered that yet. "Yes."

"I need to go. The energy is…" Steven trailed off. "I will figure out how to get you out."

* * *

 **Blocks from New Community Clinic**

Steven Carter stood in a doorway watching the police set up a command station. He used his wrist-strap to route police radio through the ear com. Police were feeling the effects of the bomb and had increased the size of the barricaded area. He needed help. Regardless of Gwen's current opinion of him, she didn't have the resources necessary. There were too many questions about Torchwood's involvement to risk calling London. Two groups came to mind. The Refuge was probably the best equipped, but he had no idea how to contact them.

Unsure what else to do, Steven found his mobile and checked his contacts. He tapped connect and wondered if it was a mistake. The Sisters were zealots. Even if it related to a large number of missing women, rescuing Jack was not something they would necessarily do. Between the pain and the stress, he wasn't even sure how to sell the idea. That alone told him he shouldn't be out of bed.

"I'm going to start getting ideas, gorgeous." Eilene's tone didn't match her words.

"Have you heard about Manchester?"

"Yeah." Pause. "Do you know what's happening in Cardiff?"

"Indirectly." If she meant the hub. "Jack is trapped in the building here. I need to get him out to deal with everything else."

"How can we help?"

Steven wasn't sure. "The simplest solution would involve getting a device to him that would let him free himself." He had heard of a few Rift or psychic abilities that were capable of it. But he didn't know if any of the people were old enough or had been recruited yet. "But it might not be possible. Disassembling the building requires the hub."

"I have an idea. Give me some time." Eilene ended the call.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

John Hart pressed his back to a wall and listened. As attacks went, the situation was ridiculous. He needed to take down four men with alien weapons and no clothes. The bot trick might have backfired. It fit the scenario that Anwen and Ianto were alone. Otherwise, the men should have left.

The list of things that didn't make sense were growing. How did they expect to get Anwen out? If they had future information, why didn't they know the hub was upgraded? Or that Ianto was like Jack? It made John think about his and Steven's circumstances. The men might have been given a task with partial information. For any number of reasons. No one in their right mind would break-in knowing what Anwen or Ianto were capable of.

When the signal came, John smiled, and waited. The audio recording followed, sounding vicious. As expected, the men moved away looking for a defensible position. It supported the theory they were from earth, current or future. The creature they were running from was a well-known herbivore common in children's programming.

When they chose the expected hiding place, John started moving again. The downside to their lack of clothes was a lack of noise. He had to be especially careful. It was difficult to know their exact movements or location. His wrist-strap vibrated. The notification indicated an increase in energy, suggesting a weapon he hadn't identified earlier.

Why were you prepared to defend against aliens? John wondered. Did they expect Ianto to release the Weevils being held? Or the pterodactyl to attack them?

Without more information, John went with the plan. He threw one stun pellet after another. It took twice as many as expected. Rather than collapse from repeated stuns, the fourth one ran at him. He waited until the man was nearly to him before holding out his leg. The man fell face first one the floor.

"Stay down." John kicked the intruder's weapon down the hall. He doubted the man could untangle himself from the impromptu toga.

"Who are you?"

"A friend of Jack's." It worked. "Do you have any idea what he's going to do when he finds out you tried to abduct his boyfriend?" John hoped the man would correct him. He might get some information.

"What?" The man sounded confused. It wasn't just the multiple failed stun attempts. "What would anyone want his fuck toy for?"

"I don't know. He's pretty?"

The man swore. "We were targeting the bints protecting the girl."

That took John a moment to process. "You broke into a Torchwood office to target the Sisters?" What kind of idiot attacked them in Cardiff? "Why?"


	35. Chapter 35

**Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper reviewed the latest email from Manchester in Jack's home office. The investigators believed Jack walked into a trap. She suspected it was intended to kill them both. As always, the question was why. The following attack on the hub was probably related.

"Why isn't Ianto answering his phone?" Rhys demanded as he paced outside the door.

Based on the system error messages and inconsistent remote scans, the hub was in lock-down. CCTV footage from the garage showed the door had been forced open. Gwen hadn't known that was possible. It probably explained the lock-down, and most of the communication problem. The land line had been disconnected at a nearby substation. Neither Ianto nor Anwen's mobile's registered. Unless John was involved, or the intruders had comparable technology, they were still in the hub.

Gwen's mobile rang. She picked it up from the desk. Finally, Tosh called her back. "Hey."

"It's gotten crazy here," Tosh said quietly. "A reporter called claiming he received a report that one of the Torchwood people that helped resolved Miracle Day hadn't been promoted since and was being treated badly."

"Why does anyone care?" Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose.

Tosh explained, "There have been three major scandals involving gay men not receiving promotions in the last several months."

"That has to be connected to the fake video and HR complaint."

"Yeah. The reporter quoted some of the jokes."

Gwen had no idea how that fit in with the probable human-trafficking and Moss-Probert. "What's being done about Manchester?"

"A man claiming to be a Torchwood agent is coordinating with local constables. No one here knows who he is."

Jack could explain that when they freed him from the building, Gwen thought. "Any reports from Cardiff?"

"Dr. Corse said there was a technical problem with the hub, and Ianto was working to resolve it."

She knows about the lock-down and didn't report it. "Thanks. If you hear anymore, call me."

* * *

 **Torchwood London; London, England**

Owen Harper wondered about his job. Someone in Cardiff, possibly the city attorney, complained that he overstepped his authority by using London credentials to get a detective constable to cooperate with Torchwood. It didn't seem to matter that Cardiff PD had removed obvious alien artifacts from a crime scene and lied about it. Or that their walk through discovered the office was fake. Despite the varied conflicts with Jack, life had been easier in Cardiff. Rebuilding Torchwood London seemed to increase the work not lessen it. And add to various problems.

Owen stopped outside Tosh's lab. "What broke?" He knew everyone in Cardiff and didn't question their motives.

The man said casually, but looked nervous. "A power relay."

It was a common problem. "How bad is it?" That you're repairing the electricity without turning off the power, Owen thought.

"Not bad. I had to isolate this section to replace a part. It will take a few minutes."

Owen nodded. "Thanks." And continued into the lab.

Whoever the man was, he knew nothing about repairing electrical systems and wasn't used to lying. He had the right uniform, but his cover story was bad, and he provided too much information without details. Unless it was an elaborate set-up, the man wasn't expecting someone to walk by.

"Do you have time for lunch?" Owen asked. An unexpected suggestion might surprise her, but anyone watching shouldn't find it problematic. They were in a relationship. Even if it rarely involved spontaneous meals. While they had friends at work, it was doubtful they knew him well enough to predict his behavior.

Tosh looked frustrated. "I guess." She looked at him. "Where?"

He had no idea. He hadn't intended to ask until he saw the fake repairman in the hallway. "The place you like with the weird plants."

From her expression, she suspected something was wrong. "What about that seafood place?"

* * *

Toshiko Sato wondered what was wrong the entire walk to Owen's car. After the doors were closed, she set a speech distortion device on an arm rest, and activated it. She had questions. Owen's tense body language told there was a problem. When he recommended a restaurant he didn't like for lunch, she knew it was more than a bad day. Even if it was personal, they didn't need an audience.

"What?"

Owen explained the supposed relay repair. "I've had odd computer and phone problems all day. Two email errors said received messages had been viewed before I saw them."

Tosh had similar experiences before Owen returned from Cardiff. "I think someone is trying to discredit Jack. Someone here." It sounded paranoid. But they both thought they were followed or watched at times. "Before the fake hostage situation. A woman, claiming to be from supplies, came to the lab and asked me questions about hub orders. She asked about Jack and the facility." Pause. "I assumed she was interested." She'd been asked more than once for an introduction.

"What did you say?"

"Not much. I told her to call Ianto and ask." That part of the conversation was the strangest. "She didn't want to ask him about his own supply orders. It's why I thought it was about Jack." Tosh should have known there was a problem. She'd gotten complacent working in London, she thought.

Owen set a hand on Tosh's knee. "We need to get out of the middle."

That was easier said than done. "How?"

"We pick-up Misae at school. Then tell HR I'm having side-effects from the accident in Cardiff. Medical asked a lot of unnecessary questions. I said I didn't feel well."

Tosh set a hand on Owen's. "I think Cardiff is having more trouble than usual. Gwen sounded off. I don't think she's in Manchester. Or the hub."

"It's not safe here."

Tosh agreed with that much. "We need to get Misae." They could figure out where they were going and doing after that. If someone targeted them for information or access, their daughter could be in danger.


	36. Chapter 36

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Ianto Jones could just imagine Jack's comments about stripping armor from mostly naked intruders. Or at least what he would have said before the video. Ianto thought about the hub CCTV footage, and showing it to Jack for the jokes. It was counterintuitive, like Jack's flirting suggestion. But it was normal. They needed normal.

"Anwen said she found clothes in the infirmary storage room," John said after rolling the last of the intruders off a stretcher in the secured cell.

Ianto went with the first thought that came to mind. "Geneva convention?"

John nodded. "'Photographing them nude might violate international law.'" He chuckled.

Ianto suspected it did. But terrorists armed with alien technology attacking a Torchwood office would be lucky if The Hague acknowledged they had rights nevertheless Great Britain. "Any idea who they are?"

"No. One sounded Eastern European." John shook his head. "They had advanced technology similar to Moss-Proberts' men. Equally disposable." Pause. "If he told me the truth, they used Anwen as bait. They were targeting a group of women that worship the Rift." His expression said he thought the men were crazy. "Picture a militant women's shelter. Their enforcers have Rift abilities."

"The weapons." Ianto wondered if they expected to fight aliens. "Could it be some type of distraction?"

"It could. The attack on Jack, and the HR nonsense, could be an effort to change Cardiff leadership."

Ianto didn't like that idea. If a Torchwood black ops group was somehow involved with the genetic experimentation, the human-trafficking, or both, then taking out the office guarding Cardiff made sense. Except it was possible the fake HR reports would have the opposite affect. If anyone believed it, an HR investigator would arrive to investigate. Long-term domestic violence should be pretty obvious to a trained investigator.

"Lock-down was intentional." Anwen carried a big bag into the room adjacent to the secured cell. "Ordering the computer to end it didn't work. So I asked why it happened." She motioned toward the transparent wall without looking at it. "They triggered it."

"They might not have known what they were doing." John used his wrist-strap to scan the pile of armor they'd removed. "Hub security mistook for Cybermen."

Ianto closed his eyes. That was either something he did years ago or what Jack did in response. "How did they know?" He said quietly.

John said, "After the Institute's destruction, it could have been assumed."

Ianto shook his head. "No." Lisa was the only reason the hub had Cybermen defenses. And that was his fault. Someone outside the hub knew what he did. And the only way they would know is if they were connected to the Institute. If you knew, Ianto thought, why didn't you try to stop me?

* * *

 **Empty Warehouse; Manchester, England**

Jack Harkness blinked at the new location. Then looked around. Moving his head made him nauseous. The roaring in his ears suggested he passed out. The last thing he remembered was sending Steven a scan update. He had no idea how he got out of the clinic.

"Welcome back." Steven walked over and sat on the floor next to him while a vaguely familiar woman stood back.

"How did I get here?" Jack didn't like the way he sounded. Somewhere between exhausted and stoned.

"Do you know what a teleporter is?" Steven asked. "A person. Not technology."

Jack had heard rumors, but he'd never met one. "Torchwood?" Although he doubted it. If London had a teleporter, their tactics would be very different.

"The Sisters in Birmingham." She moved to stand behind Steven. "I'm Clarissa."

Jack smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You should sit down." Steven looked up at her. "The energy has side-effects."

"He's handling it." She argued slightly, but sat next to him anyway.

"Good stamina," Jack said, trying for a joke. From Steven's expression, it was a bad idea.

"Your injuries are similar to mine. The energy is interfering with healing."

Jack didn't like the sound of that. It could be a coincidence, similar technology or a connection. Resistance to Nanogenes was unusual. He couldn't remember anything preventing him from regenerating. "Call Gwen."

Steven held up Jack's mobile. Steven had gained access somehow and was going through the contact list. He pressed connect and switched it to speaker phone as it rang.

"Jack?" Gwen sounded worried.

"Yeah."

"It took a while to free him," Steven explained tentatively.

"What happened at the hub?" Jack asked before Gwen could respond to Steven.

"The garage door was breached. It's in lock-down." Gwen sounded worried. "One of the maintenance bots repaired the damage. I don't know if it's automated."

Jack had no idea. "Nothing from Ianto?"

"Or Anwen." Gwen hesitated. "Depending on the type of lock-down, it could be hours."

"Are you in my office?" Jack knew he needed to focus. But the roaring in his ears was back.

"Yeah."

"Check for system notifications. It might tell you what type of lock-down."

"I did. It claims there was a hostile alien. But CCTV from the garage shows four men, or what I assume were men based on clothes and movement."

A memory nagged at the back of Jack's mind. The energy still affected his thoughts. "When you try to remote access the system, what type of error message is generated?"

"Containment."

Lisa, Jack thought suddenly. If it was a Cyberman lock-down, it would require a lot of effort to resolve it. "I need to get back to Cardiff." He pushed himself up, lost his balance and fell a few inches back to the cement floor.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

John Hart sat on the floor in the doorway between the hallway and the Global mainframe room. He used his wrist-strap and a dedicated tablet computer. It appeared Jack personalized security, including a lock-down specific to Cybermen. John couldn't determine if there were notes explaining why.

"What's wrong with Uncle Ianto?" Anwen approached in the hall.

John suspected it had something to do with the Cyberman attack on the Institute. Ianto survived it and returned home to Cardiff. There had to be a reason Jack not only installed specific defenses but Ianto reacted badly to them. John had no idea how to ask.

"The intruders faked a type of alien Ianto's afraid of."

Anwen sat on the floor in the hallway across from him. "How did they know?"

John suspected Steven was right about an Institute connection. "I don't know." The more important question was what was worth the effort.

"They're really dumb." Anwen sounded stressed. "They tried to kill Uncle Jack. Which isn't possible. They broke in here to use me for bait. To attack women more dangerous than I am. And what, kill Uncle Ianto? That isn't possible either." She had good points.

"It might be a distraction."

"A bad one. Threatening Ianto guarantees Jack will never let it go."

A thought occurred to John. What if the fake HR report, videos, and badly planned hub attack were part of the future's changes? It caused a lot of personal problems. But could fix others.

Anwen waited a few minutes. "If I have control of Global, and Global can override the hub, why can't I take control and let us out?"

It would require overriding Jack's hub authority with the mainframe. It wasn't John's first choice. Unless he could find another, he'd have to do it.

"Uh, John." Anwen stood suddenly, looking nervous. "Someone with a lot of Rift energy and no chronons just entered the hub."

"The person would have had to walk through a wall." John's wrist-strap than issued a security warning. He quickly reviewed it. "She did." He stood.

"I can protect you."

"Open your wrist-strap. Say 'Identity Anwen Williams.'"

She did and the computer clicked.

"'Command Authorization Anwen Williams.'"

She repeated it and the computer acknowledged her.

"'Command override. End lock-down.'"

Anwen said it, and their wrist-straps received a notification.

John checked his mobile. Relieved, he quickly found Steven's number and pressed connect. It rang.

"Hey."

"Can you call your friend Eilene? One of hers just entered the hub. An intruder claimed they were after them. It could still be some type of trap." John did not want to be on the receiving end of an angry Sisters response team.

Quiet voices filled the background.

"Clarissa will call it in." Steven paused, listening to Jack. "Is tad-cu okay?"


	37. Chapter 37

_**Driving**_ **: London, England**

Owen Harper checked the mirrors again. The car definitely followed them from school. It's driver made no effort to hide herself. She wanted to be seen. If she intended to abduct Misae or attack them, the school would have been a good location. Unless someone anticipated their actions, or overheard them despite the device, the woman was interested in Misae.

"Did anything happen today?"

"I got referred to the school counselor." She sounded amused.

Owen knew better. "Why?"

"Mrs. Waithe asked the class which of our parents we took after the most. I told her I was just like my dad."

Tosh covered her mouth with her hand and tried to keep from laughing.

"Aspiring to be a jaded arse is a bad life goal at thirteen."

Owen reminded himself the attitude was good. When they first brought her home three years earlier she wouldn't look him in the eyes. If he raised his voice or moved too fast, she flinched. One of the psychiatrists said she'd never recover. Adopting his attitude was much better than that.

"Misae."

"Nothing weird." She hesitated. "What's going on?"

"We don't know yet." Owen checked the mirrors again. "Call Gwen."

Tosh quickly found her mobile. "Could this have followed you from Cardiff?" She checked her contacts.

"Or the recent homicide investigation." By itself, Owen doubted it. The murders were somehow connected to everything else happening in Cardiff.

He stopped behind a queue of cars at a traffic light. With the exception of the strange law enforcement rejection of Three, Owen could think of nothing unexpected recently. Working for Torchwood, they saw everything from malfunctioning technology to lost alien tourists. Most of it was routine. Since he and Tosh relocated to London, they'd seen fewer crises and life-threatening situations. He could go weeks without seeing a possible death by alien misadventure. Last month he'd been loaned to Birmingham to identify mundane fire victims.

"Uh, dad," Misae said nervously from the backseat.

Owen turned in time to see a lorry speeding from a car park between two buildings. Directly at them. He threw the car into reverse and backed up onto the pavement, knocking over several trash bins. The lorry struck the bonnet with a crunch and kept going.

He released his safety belt and reached for Tosh. "Are your feet trapped?"

"No."

"Misae," he turned to look between the front seats.

She looked pale. "I'll live."

* * *

 **Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper sat unsure of what to focus on. They had multiple situations, lots of possible information, and a growing list of questions. The attacks on Jack, the hub, and Owen and Tosh had no obvious connection. Jack needed to regenerate fully before he gave a coherent report. Owen and Tosh would provide details when they arrived. They still hadn't heard from the hub.

The computer chimed with a notification. She quickly checked the system. The lock-down ended. Most of the details went over her head, but it looked like someone overrode Jack's authority. She had no idea how that was possible and doubted Jack was in any condition to discuss it. Gwen grabbed her mobile and entered Anwen's number.

"Mum." Anwen sounded good.

"What happened?"

Rhys poked his head in. Gwen motioned to him. Then switched the mobile to speaker.

"Uncle Ianto and John are still trying to figure that out." Anwen explained the attack, the fake Cyberman tech, and why she overrode the lock-down. "I think someone should add narration to the raid footage. Like a Torchwood training video."

Gwen chuckled. She needed it.

"Are you safe?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah."

As much as Gwen wanted to keep talking to her daughter, they needed to know what was happening to resolve it. "I need to speak to Ianto."

"He's talking to the Sisters."

Gwen realized they did have a connection among all three situations. The same group was involved in all three situations. They were observing Anwen and Misae for some reason. All the missing women in Manchester would definitely get the attention of a women's group.

She reached for a tablet. An additional piece of information came to mind. There was one sizable city in England that didn't have missing women. "Are they connected to Birmingham?"

* * *

 **Torchwood Three**

Ianto Jones stood, waiting in the fake tourist office. He was meeting with a woman that concerned John. He recommended that Gwen talk to her. Or possibly Anwen. For some reason, John thought a woman walked through a wall during the lock-down. And immediately instructed Anwen to override Jack's authority. Something they might not be able to fix. It made Ianto paranoid. But John looked spooked. Anwen knew more than she said, but Ianto needed to wait until she wasn't with John to ask.

The door opened and an oddly familiar woman stepped in. He couldn't place her, but he knew he'd seen her before. "I'm Eilene."

"Ianto." He gave it a moment. "We had a security breach."

Eilene nodded, indicating she already knew.

"One of the intruders claimed your organization was the target. Not Torchwood."

"Doubtful."

It didn't make sense to him either. "They were carrying weapons strong enough to target aliens. Except when faced with the sounds of one, they fled."

"Did they have anti-Rift energy weapons?"

"Yep." It was why they suspected the intruders were after Anwen.

Eilene looked confused. "Targeting Anwen is stupid. Her ability isn't obvious or widely known. But us?"

"It's possible they were mimicking the attack style of the abductors in Manchester. The technology description was similar."

"Do you know about the hit-and-run in London?" She must have concluded he didn't. "Ms. Sato and her family have minor injuries." Pause. "We learned of an abduction threat against Misae. Potentially related to work Dr. Harper did in Birmingham. While we didn't think someone would try it, observers were assigned."

Ianto wondered if someone wanted Torchwood working with the Sisters. If the London information was accurate it could tie to a well-planned, badly executed attack on the hub. "How did you meet Steven?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper stood in the infirmary watching Ianto run additional medical scans on Jack. The technology Stephen used to return quickly from Manchester increased the energy affect. They were both in and out of consciousness. The question was why. They might have a better idea when Owen arrived. With John trying to resolve the situation in Manchester, it might be possible to keep Owen from finding out about John again.

The door opened and Anwen entered. "The idiots have been fed and watered." She was handling the latest crisis better than the adults.

"Anymore notifications?" Ianto asked.

"No." Anwen moved over to Jack's side. "Why isn't he healing?"

Gwen set a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We don't know."

"Interference," Jack mumbled. He opened his eyes and looked at Ianto. "I love you."

Ianto leaned over and whispered something to Jack.

Gwen had seen the exchange twice since she arrived. She suspected from Jack's tone he was delirious. Which explained the public displays.

Anwen turned, looking at her mother. "When is Grumpy Cat getting back?"

"I don't know." Gwen wondered if they needed to discuss what happened.

"Me and Misae can watch movies we're not suppose to and design bot programs." Anwen's eyes lit up with amusement.

Gwen groaned. "Age appropriate."

"We can add Mystery Theater 3000 comments to the raider video." Anwen paused as if to think. "Is raiding while stupid and naked age appropriate?"

"You should be grounded for overriding the movie controls."

Anwen shook her head. "I'm traumatized. You can't ground someone who's been in a home invasion."

"We need to let them rest," Ianto said. He walked away from Jack looking tired and worried.

Gwen waited until they were in the hallway to ask. "What's wrong?"

"I think the energy is still affecting Jack." Ianto turned away. "You're okay. Steven's recovery was set back days." He groaned, frustrated.

"Chronons. Time energy," Anwen said. "John said he had to avoid exposure. If it's on purpose, it could be an anti-Time Agent weapon."

"Did he do anything suspicious before or during the lock-down?" Gwen asked.

"No," Ianto said reluctantly.

Anwen looked at her mother. She wasn't happy. "You think John is involved?"

Gwen doubted Anwen would listen to any explanation. She liked cowboys and Time Agents. John was both. He sounded like a cliche plot about an aging gunslinger seeking redemption. Except there was nothing romantic about a homicidal junkie with questionable motives. Her daughter wasn't born when John came to Cardiff originally. She didn't see what he did. Or who he really was.

"We have to consider everything," Gwen said. It sounded like a bad excuse.

"With Uncle Jack unable to help, you need John."

Which could be the point, Gwen thought. They were forced to trust him.

* * *

 **Blocks from New Community Clinic; Manchester, England**

John Hart remotely adjusted the bot programming. The modified bot shields worked, but had limits. After twenty minutes, the energy permanently disrupted operations. Energy contamination made it impossible to reuse. That meant no portal devices and a continual need for raw materials. The replicator he built hastily had more limitations.

Large bots salvaged scrap metal from nearby yards and brought it to the warehouse by portal device. The replicator built small bots to conserve materials. Then they used the sewers to move between locations. They lost several minutes of functionality before reaching the clinic.

It was impractical, time consuming, and the only option available. Decontaminating the bots would take longer than dismantling the building. He had no idea how long it would take to resolve the energy. That required finding the amplifier. He wasn't even sure the type. The unusual technology reminded him of the crystal egg at the transportation company and the unexplained energy distribution. Both were insane puzzles that shouldn't have been on Earth.

"Are you making progress?" Clarissa asked, still sounding tired. Based on what she said, she had only a small exposure.

"Slowly." John knew he was missing something. "Do you know anything about this clinic?" He had no doubt it was a trap. Either for Jack and Gwen or a Sisters response team. But the technology used was unusual. John suspected the bombs had been built from something else. But he had no idea what.

"There were rumors they were paying for genetic testing. DNA mapping." Clarissa wasn't convinced. "I have not spoken to anyone who was offered money or paid." Pause. "I specialize in domestic rescues. I didn't participate in other investigations."

"Is there someone you can ask?" John looked up from a tablet. "I need accurate information on this facility and any new or short-term clinics in the area."

"Possibly." Clarissa didn't looked convinced she should.

"Whoever these people are, they contaminated city blocks with exotic energy. If a larger bomb detonated, or this energy can't be contained, people are going to die."

She walked away checking her phone contacts.

Life had been much easier as a mercenary, John thought.

* * *

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Ianto Jones stood in front of the LCD screen in the conference room with his arms cross. Trying to stay calm. While he normally didn't mind dealing with Torchwood bureaucracy, he had too much to do. Creating an insane cover story for Stephen dealing with Manchester was annoying. Who cared who did what as long as it was done.

"Jack is dealing with it," Ianto repeated. "The interference disrupts phones."

"An unknown man identified himself as a Torchwood agent," Northcutt repeated.

"No idea. What crime did he commit?" Based on what Stephen said, and Gwen's police contacts, he took charge while Jack was trapped and coordinated the police effort to evacuate the area.

"Impersonating a Torchwood agent."

"To do what?"

Northcutt wasn't amused. "We can't have people claiming to work for us."

Ianto couldn't help but picture how Jack would answer that. He'd said it before. "It happens nightly in bars." Pause. "Unless the impostor is committing crimes, we have better things to do."

"I need to speak to Captain Harkness."

"He's busy." Based on scan readings John provided, it would take hours to resolve.

"Then I need to speak with Mrs. Williams."

Ianto was losing his temper. "Ms. Cooper is busy. Cardiff currently has several open cases."

"While Captain Harkness is in Manchester?"

The ridiculous conversation lasted twenty minutes. Ianto had no idea how Northcutt coordinated with the British government. His interrogation style appeared to be pissing people off until they were so angry they blurted out whatever information he wanted.

Anwen entered after the call ended. She looked concerned. "Someone from Torchwood London tried to remote-access the hub. Using codes from the agent-in-charge prior to Uncle Jack. And administrative overrides."

The man committed suicide in front of Jack. "When?"

Anwen flipped open her wrist-strap and entered instructions. "The last fifteen to twenty minutes." She looked up. "According to the computer, it came from the same place as the person you were talking to."

"Do a Global personnel search for Gary Northcutt." Ianto replayed the conversation in his head. Was it an act?


	39. Chapter 39

**Blocks from New Community Clinic; Manchester, England**

The energy fluctuated. John Hart compared multiple scan readings. It looked like the amplifier suddenly started cycling down. He could only guess it had been remotely deactivated. That fit with the trap theory. Except why did they wait this long. If Jack and Gwen were the only targets, why wasn't it shutdown after they left. Unless the people behind it didn't know they had.

John's wrist-strap indicated a message. "Hey."

"Uncle Ianto has a question."

What now? John wondered.

"Could the intruders have triggered the Cyberman lock-down accidentally?"

"Possibly. The hub identified something they carried. If they didn't know about Jack's security, they could have had a different goal in mind."

"Could it have reset Jack's command authority without the upgrades?"

"I doubt it." Although attempting it made more sense than targeting the Sisters. "Anyone trying it might have assumed Jack was from Earth." Unless the person or persons used the armed intruders as an aggressive Trojan Horse. If that was the case, they would have attempted to force access during the lock-down. "Why?

Anwen explained the remote-access attempts. Ianto added details about the video conference.

"Could he have been trying to determine if Jack and Gwen are still alive?"

"Yep."

John checked the energy readings again. "When did that call end?"

"Five minutes ago."

John nodded. Then explained about the changes. "Either you convinced them Jack and Gwen are alive and they're shutting it down because it failed. Or they wanted to confirm they're dead."

"Come back," Anwen said. "Now."

* * *

 **Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Anwen Williams looked at the Global search results. From Stephen's previous search and her own. There was a reason Uncle Jack didn't want her running that search. When she checked the origin of the image used for facial recognition, she wished she hadn't.

She flipped open her wrist-strap. "John Hart."

"I'm in Cardiff."

"Good." Anwen hesitated. "I found something." She explained. "What do I do?"

"Give Ianto the information."

She didn't like that idea. "He saw the video and threw up."

"Unless Jack is awake and coherent," John emphasized, "You need to give the information to Ianto."

"I wish you were here."

John hesitated. "I can't."

Grumpy Cat, Anwen thought. Uncle Jack and Steven needed him. After that Dr. Harper needed to go. He was angry and dangerous.

"The Manchester energy faded enough to retrieve the van. I will bring it back when it's decontaminated."

"You can't be seen." She didn't know the details, but there was a Torchwood unit responding to the clinic site. Her mum confirmed that somehow.

"I'm using a mini bot and a portal device."

"Be careful."

"Talk to Ianto." John disconnected.

Anwen stared at her wrist-strap for a moment. Then checked the computer to find Uncle Ianto. She didn't want to upset him. Giving her mum the results would just delay it. There was no way to avoid it. He was in his office. Anwen realized she could change the name back as she started walking. That might help.

When the door opened, Anwen stepped in, intending to happily tell her uncle the office label was fixed. He sat with his elbows bend, fingers twined and head down. She wondered what happened. The good good news she intended wouldn't work. And she suspected the Global search information would make it worse. Whatever it was.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep." Ianto sat back, his expression going neutral as he reached for a tablet. She'd seen him do it before and knew he'd lied.

"The Global search. Northcutt." Anwen crossed the room unsure what to say about the image. "It connected with a search Uncle Jack wanted before Manchester." She handed the tablet across his desk. "He had Stephen run a picture."

"From where?" Ianto looked at her, waiting for an answer.

"The video. The bad one. When dad and I were in Uncle Jack's flat. Your flat." She closed her eyes feeling like an idiot.

* * *

Ianto Jones reviewed the information. While it was likely that Northcutt helped stage the authentic video, and was the reason the real one hadn't been sent to HR, there was another possibility. People tended to fall for Jack. Ianto smiled. Jack was hard to resist. Northcutt's attitude could have been concern for Jack's safety. Even if Northcutt was involved with black ops and attacking the hub, it didn't mean he wanted Jack dead. The facial recognition search said they hadn't had much contact. It didn't rule out the concern possibility.

Northcutt's Global profile added to the confusion. It claimed he'd been recruited from an intelligence agency before working for Torchwood. It sounded good. With as many former Institute files as he'd seen over the years, Ianto suspected it was fake. Both the government and Torchwood backgrounds. That fit with black op theories. If any of his Institute file was accurate he was assigned to London, but not there, when the Cyberman attacked.

Something felt wrong. The attack on the hub was clumsy. The fake HR report and video suggested someone was trying to illuminate people's inaccurate opinions of him. While it looked like the Sisters were in some type of conflict with Torchwood black ops, directly or indirectly, it didn't explain the rest. The audio message he received after the hub updates suggested the future could have been involved. But he had no idea why.

What could anyone benefit from disrupting his and Jack's relationship? Unless like the HR conflict, the goal was the opposite effect. Why would anyone want to alter their relationship? Maybe to prevent something worse from coming between them. Or it forced them to accept the compromise wasn't working. It still came back to why.

Ianto sat back and wondered about the direction him and Jack were headed before the future changes. No matter how much they loved each other. Or the promises they made. The compromise failed. Ianto wanted a commitment. Jack wanted an open relationship where they both saw other people.

If the relationship failed, it would complicate running the hub. Ianto knew he and Jack would avoid each other and refuse to admit there was a problem. Rhys' jealousy would likely flare convinced that Jack would pursue Gwen. They would probably have to hire additional people. Ianto could see the disruption. It reminded him of comments John made. He implied that the problems were worked out. Unless John was the problem. Ianto couldn't see Jack going back to John. What if it was to prevent Jack from returning to the person he was. That was arrogant, Ianto knew. But Jack's views mellowed while they were together. The former Time Agent and the soldier seeking answers from The Doctor accepted he couldn't go back. What would you do, Ianto thought, if you lost me?


	40. Chapter 40

**Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales**

Gwen Cooper waited by the large door. With her arms crossed. While she understood Owen's reaction to John, the fact that he drew a weapon in the hub and accidentally shot Anwen made it less forgiving. With Jack unconscious and a growing list of local problems, they didn't need the added complication. Gwen reluctantly accepted that John had behaved better recently. He was less likely to challenge Jack.

It rolled aside. Owen led Tosh and Misae into the hub. The memory surfaced of finding him unconscious and Anwen bleeding. That left her and Ianto to get three adults to the infirmary, two of them were unconscious. It was completely avoidable.

"Have the security issues been resolved?" Tosh asked quietly.

"Yes." Additional programming and security had been installed by the doors.

"We didn't know what else to do."

Under different circumstances, Gwen would have welcomed them back without an issue. The issues before they left for London were long past. "Ianto's checking if you can be temporarily transferred here. In addition to explaining why, Dr. Corse is currently in Cardiff. Her investigation lasted longer than expected. And HR wants to transfer her."

"That is a bad idea," Owen said. "The complaint she filed against me was to cover her suspicious behavior." Pause. "She wears a full medical scan blocker. It generates a fake medical profile.

Gwen suspected that before talking to Tosh. They were already trying to avoid it. "For right now, we need to deal with the basics. The hub layout has changed." She had no idea how to explain that. "Tosh, it would be best if I showed you and Misae to the kitchen and dining area. Owen's needed in the infirmary."

* * *

Steven Carter stood back listening to the exchange. Harper was the least of their concerns. If Kindra Corse was in town, the situation was a lot worse than they thought it was. Steven waited for Gwen to lead the trio across the main floor and down the hall before heading up to Jack's office.

Using his wrist-strap and a tablet, Steven accessed the files involving Corse. Not only was it Kindra, she was investigating something just as confusing as the Manchester situation. He vaguely remembered an alien spaceship crash while he was mother was having surgery. From taking to Jack, it was last December. He didn't remember anything else. But there would have been no reason for him to know.

Steven flipped open spoke to his wrist-strap. "John Hart."

"You should be in bed," John commented. Surprisingly without making a sexual joke.

"Harper is here."

"Still."

Steven wondered if he missed something. Maybe John used his temporary exile to justify going out. After Manchester, he deserved a few hours. "Kindra Corse is in Cardiff. Investigating a bizarre case that potentially ties in with the transportation company energy system."

"Stay out of her way."

"Are you all right?"

* * *

 **Near Hughes Flats**

"Yes." John Hart closed his wrist-strap. He hoped if Steven got suspicious, he checked their CCTV first.

"Good choice." Corse sat at the table across from John in the small flat he shared with Steven.

John knew better than to anger her. Her impressive medical credentials were the least of it. "What do you want?"

"Cooperation. A faction of Torchwood made the mistake of challenging us," Corse said, referring to the Sisters of Birmingham. "There are activities we won't tolerate."

"What's going on?"

"We resolved the missing women mystery."

Not surprising, John thought, as women were their priority. He suspected the Sisters identified residual Rift energy and possibly chronons from his time travel. In some ways, they understood the Rift a lot better than Torchwood. But it didn't explain her interest in him.

Corse turned her laptop around to face him. "They were abducted for testing. We found one of their facilities off the coast of Scotland. Any that test positive are kept. The others were transferred to a fake human-trafficking depot. It will be discovered in Eastern Europe in the next few days."

"Why?"

"A failed cure for sexually transmitted diseases." Corse explained, "The treatment was derived from aliens found on a ship salvaged several years ago. But it didn't work the way the pharmaceutical company thought it did."

"How is Torchwood involved?"

"One of the original research and development branches survived the destruction of the Institute. When it gets potentially useful technology, it shops it around. For various reasons, including funding. A scientist misinterpreted research. By the time they discovered the mistake, a lot of people had already been exposed."

John nodded slightly. "Why are you still here?"

"That salvaged alien ship was involved in research and possibly slaves. More than one alien response team has been sent to retrieve it. The bizarre case your partner mentioned is somehow involved."

And? John wanted to ask. He waited instead.

"I know who you are Captain John Hart. Time Agent. Mercenary. Torchwood special assignments." Corse reached into her pocket and removed a small box with a folded piece of paper taped to the top. When she set it on the table, he knew what it was before she opened it.

How? John wondered. Few people knew about that in the original time line nevertheless here. Even if someone overheard him tell Jack about Varaxi crystals, they wouldn't know what they were or how to get them. Anwen told him the ones she had came through the Rift. He hadn't asked the right questions.

"We have local currency, among other things, to offer."

John sat, staring at the crystals twinkling in the bad overhead lighting. He wondered which answer was the trap. If they knew this much about him, they knew about 2049 and the Anwen there. Corse was trying to buy him or test his loyalty to Torchwood. He had no doubt she could kill him without a second thought.

"Interesting," Corse said. "I was told you would accept the crystals without hesitation." Corse closed her laptop and tucked it back in it's case. "The paper," she motioned to the note on the box, "Has the name of a good friend to make. He will keep you warm at night. And be useful later on."


End file.
